Free Falling
by Hubero
Summary: It's been over a year since Jaime met the Bots. The Cons are searching for something, but that's the least of Jaime's worries. Lately she's been dreaming of a horrible monster who calls himself the Fallen. And who is the prisoner plaguing her dreams? There's a storm coming that only Jaime can sense, and when it hits, she's going to be right in the center of it. "I Feel Home" Sequel
1. Chapter 1

**Drumroll Please! So this is the sequel of _I Feel Home_. If you haven't read it, then go read it! _Free Falling_ will make a lot more sense if you do. And you'll probably like it! :D**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers, but I do own Jaime and the plot of Free Falling!_

* * *

**Jaime's POV**

"Go! Go! Go!"

"I am!"

"Well go faster!" Jaime barked. Sideswipe's only response was the rev of his engine, as he poured on an extra burst of speed. The sliver Corvette Stingray swerved around a sand dune and continued to accelerate. Jaime was pressed to the backseat as the g-forces slammed into her. The girl forced herself to turn around and glanced through the back windshield.

"How is he still gaining on us?" she demanded.

"Pit if I know!" Sideswipe bit out as he tried to shake their shadow. "The mech's a fragging ninja!" Jaime watched as Prowl's black and white alt form pursued them.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Jaime muttered. It wasn't like the two partners in crime had anywhere to escape to. They were stuck on an island, Diego Garcia to be exact.

"Are you kidding?" Sideswipe laughed. "Super gluing everything down in Prowl's office? That was brilliant!" Jaime couldn't help but chuckle. The prankster just had that effect on her; he never failed to make her laugh.

**Weeeoooeeeoooeeeoooeee!**

Jaime snorted, Prowl had turned his sirens on for the third time. Sideswipe's radio crackled.

**:: Sideswipe, pull over. ::** Prowl ordered through the twin's comm.

**:: Aw, come on Prowl. Don't you just love racing? ::** Sides jibed. Jaime's mouth twitched in amusement. No doubt, the Second in Command's patience was wearing thin. Sideswipe veered around another sand dune. He was heading back to the base now. Jaime continued to watch Prowl. He hadn't really taken any extreme measures to stop Sideswipe. By now Prowl would have stopped giving warnings and resorted to more forceful measures to stop the silver prankster, but the SIC held back. Jaime knew it was because she was in Sideswipe's alt form. It was another reason Sideswipe loved having her as a fellow collaborator. Prowl was more cautious of his actions, but only when Jaime was around.

"You do realize he's eventually going to find you alone and throw you in the brig right?" Jaime asked the silver mech.

"It'll be so worth it," Sideswipe snickered. Jaime shook her head in with a smile as Sideswipe sped towards the base. A lot had happened in the past year. The biggest change was the new NEST base. The Hoover Dam based had become too crowded and conspicuous. So the government's solution had been to ship all the Autobots to a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Neither Sarah nor Will had been happy about the arrangement. Annabelle had thrown quite the tantrum, demanding that Ironhide stay. Jaime remembered the broken look on the black mech's face as he unsuccessfully tried to soothe the little girl. That hadn't been the worst part. They had waited to make the move until school was out so Jaime could accompany them to the new NEST base. Jaime's connection to the Allspark had grown stronger and was only more reason for the Autobots to keep her nearby. Jaime grimaced when she remembered Annabelle's reaction to the news.

"_Why does she get to go?" Annabelle whined._

"_Well, she's a target to the bad robots I told you about," Will struggled to explain. Annabelle didn't know about the Allspark. _

"_The ones with the red eyes?" Annabelle sniffled. _

"_That's right sweetie, and she needs to be close to the bots so they can protect her," Sarah added, who was aware of Jaime's special connection to the Autobots. _

"_But I wanna go too! I wanna go with Hide!" Annabelle stomped her foot. Jaime glanced out the kitchen window, catching a flash of black metal. _

"_Honey," Sarah reached out towards the girl, but Annabelle would have none of it._

"_No!" she screeched. "I WANNA GO TOO!" _

"_Annabelle," Will began. _

"_SHE DOES EVERYTHING! WHY CAN'T I? YOU ALWAYS SAY NO TO ME, BUT YES TO HER!" __Jaime was taken aback by the outburst. They'd never fought before. Although the girl had been rather quite lately…Jaime frowned when she realized that the girl had also been avoiding her. "You love HER more!"_

"_That's not true," Will defended, a bit harshly._

"_Annabelle!" Sarah chided in a chillingly low tone. But the little girl was too worked up to stop. Her head snapped in Jaime's direction. _

"_Everything was great until you came!" Annabelle shouted at the stunned girl. _

"_I…I'm…sorry," Jaime sputtered, not knowing what else to say._

"_Everyone likes you more! No one ever talks to me! Even Hide likes you better!"_

"_That's completely absurd," Ironhide groused from outside. Annabelle huffed, her face red._

"_I wish you never came!" Annabelle wailed before running up the stairs to her room. Jaime swallowed thickly, tears pricking at her eyes. _

"_Annabelle!" Sarah's face was thunderous as she marched up the stairs._

"_Jaime," Will attempted to comfort the girl, but the damage was already done. Jaime shot out the door and rushed into the barn. She stayed in there the entire night, seeking comfort in Orion's presence. The next morning Ironhide, Jazz, Will and Jaime had to leave for the rendezvous point. Sarah had forced Annabelle out of her room to apologize and say goodbye. The little girl had cried and said goodbye to Ironhide and Will, hugging them tightly. She'd patted Jazz's hood as a farewell. Meanwhile, Sarah held onto Jaime, wishing her farewell. _

"_Don't get into too much trouble. Listen to Will and Optimus. And don't forget to brush your teeth," the woman rattled off. Jaime laughed._

"_Okay…Don't worry, I'll be fine," she reassured Sarah. They pulled away; Jaime and Annabelle stood looking at each other awkwardly._

"_Um…Well I guess…this is it…" Jaime trailed._

"_Yea…" Annabelle fidgeted. Silence. "…Are…are you going to call?"_

"_If you want me to…" Annabelle glanced up at her and gave a shy nod. "Okay…We can use the webcam to call each other…" Annabelle shuffled a little closer. Jaime knelt down in front of her. They regarded each other silently. Jaime bit her lip before hesitantly spreading her arm as an invitation. The small blonde girl eagerly accepted._

"_I'm sorry," she whispered. Jaime sighed in relief and returned the embrace._

"_I'm sorry too. I didn't realize you felt so left out. You're not used to sharing attention are you?" They pulled apart and Annabelle shook her head. _

"_We need t' get goin'," Jazz murmured. Both Autobots were already loaded with Will and Jaime's luggage. Jaime waved goodbye to Annabelle and Sarah before sliding into Jazz's backseat. Will and Sarah embraced, sharing a long kiss, before Will climbed into Ironhide's driver seat._

The two sisters had made up during their first webcam session, but Jaime would never forget the look of absolute jealousy on the little girl's face when she learned of the base and Jaime's relocation. Jaime was pulled away from her thoughts by a jolt, as Sideswipe's tires found purchase on pavement. Sideswipe was much faster on pavement, and Prowl knew it. That was why he had herded the prankster off one of the many streets that crisscrossed the island. Sideswipe easily pulled away from Prowl, who had just reached the pavement. The police cruiser paused, recognizing the hopelessness of the situation. There were no other Autobots on base to assist him. Bumblebee had chosen to remain in the States to continue acting as Sam Witwicky's guardian. Optimus, Ironhide, Ratchet were on a mission, investigating a Decepticon sighting in South America. Jazz, Jolt, and the newly arrived Arcee triplets were somewhere in Europe for the same reason.

Prowl had remained at the base on emergency standby, and Sideswipe had not been cleared by Ratchet for active duty due to an injury from last week. Jaime knew what was going through Prowl's mind, as the police cruiser lingered far behind them. Thanks to the bonds that connected her to the bots, she'd learned to discern what certain flickers of emotion meant. Prowl was the most stoic of the Autobots, preferring logic over emotions. But that didn't mean he was completely emotionless. The SIC experienced feelings just like the others, he just chose not to show them. Judging by the scant feelings Jaime was receiving from Prowl, he had come to the conclusion to bide his time until Sideswipe was too exhausted to flee.

* * *

"Hey Jaime!"

"Hi Mikaela!" Jaime grinned and waved at the brunette on the computer screen. "How's it going?" A few days had passed since the prank in Prowl's office, and Jaime and Mikaela were having their monthly webcam chat.

"Good, I –hey!—" Mikaela was cut off as a large Mastiff entered the screen. "Down boy," Mikaela pushed the large animal away from the screen. Jaime blinked.

"I didn't know you had a dog."

"Oh well," Mikaela shrugged. "He's a stray. I found him a few days ago hanging around the garage looking for a handout."

"He's so cute!" Jaime exclaimed, leaning towards the screen and trying to get another glimpse of the mammoth sized dog. "What's his name?"

"Um, I haven't named him yet," the teenager admitted. "I've put up some flyers around in case his owners are looking for him, but I'm beginning to think he was abandoned." The mastiff plopped his head on her leg and Mikaela began to massage it absentmindedly. "So what's new over there?"

"Sideswipe's in the brig…again," Jaime chuckled. Mikaela rolled her eyes.

"That's not new…What was it this time?" Jaime grinned at the brunette.

"We super glued everything in Prowl's office so he couldn't move anything." Mikaela snorted.

"I'm not even going to ask how you did that," she shook her head.

"Good," Jaime replied, "because I'm not telling." The girl glanced to her left, movement catching her attention. "Maggie!" the girl exclaimed and waved the Australian blonde over. Maggie Madsen and Glen Witmann had also been relocated to the NEST base at Diego Garcia.

"Oh, hi there Mikaela," Maggie waved to the brunette on the computer screen.

"Hi Maggie," Mikaela waved back. "Hey, I'm glad you're here. I need your help on something."

"Sure what is it?"

"Well…" Mikaela paused. "It's Sam."

"Boy troubles?" the Australian asked in a knowing voice.

"Yea," Mikaela sighed.

"What's wrong?" Jaime asked. In the last webcam session, it sounded like things were going relatively well between the teenage couple.

"Well…nothing's wrong…It's just…We've been together for nearly a year now," the teenager explained with a frown. "But he still hasn't said it." Maggie tilted her head in confusion.

"Said what exactly?"

"Oh…She means the _L word_," Jaime clarified, remembering their past chat sessions.

"Seriously?" the blonde woman raised a delicate eyebrow.

"Seriously," Mikaela repeated with a groan. "I mean, I know he's shy and all, but he's under the impression that _I_ should say it first."

"But most guys go running if the girl says it first," Maggie nodded in understanding.

"Exactly!" Mikaela exclaimed.

"Well, Sam's not most guys," Jaime muttered, but neither female heard her.

"Okay, so maybe he's not ready to tell you he loves you with words," Maggie continued. "Does he show you that he loves you through his actions?"

"Well…yea," Mikaela answered after a few moments of pondering. "It's just…he's going to college soon. Did you know he got accepted into Princeton?"

"Really?" Jaime questioned with a surprised look. _Wow, who knew ladiesman had it in him,_ the girl mused.

"Yea, he's going to be meeting all these college girls and…"

"You can't help but feel anxious because he won't say aloud that he loves you?" Jaime supplied. Mikaela nodded sadly.

"Maybe you could share an apartment near the college?" Maggie offered.

"I can't," Mikaela shook her head. "I need to stick around the shop to help my dad out." Jaime nodded in understanding. She knew that the teenager's dad, who was a car thief, had served time. She forgot that he was being released this summer.

"Hmm," Maggie contemplated. "I'm sorry…but I don't know what else to say."

"Why don't you just say 'I love you' first?" Jaime asked.

"But it might scare him off," Mikaela protested.

"Oh come on," Jaime rolled her eyes. "The guy's faced off with Megatron! Give him a little credit." Michaela's lips pursed thoughtfully.

"Woof!" Maggie jerked in surprise. The mastiff's head filled the screen once more.

"Hey! Knock it off boy," Mikaela moved the dog aside.

"I didn't know you had a dog," Maggie blinked.

"He's a stray," the brunette explained shortly.

"Did you name him yet?"

"No. Got any ideas?"

"Ted? Manny the Mammoth?" the Australian offered.

"Bones?" Jaime added.

"Hmm," Mikaela tilted her head. "I like Bones…" The teen turned to the dog.

"Bones? Don't name him Bones. He's a big dog. He needs a tough manly name," a voice called. Mikaela glanced off-screen for only a few seconds before facing Maggie and Jaime, who were both giving her confused looks.

"My dad," Mikaela sighed. "Yesterday was his first day back."

"But Bones is a fine name," Maggie argued.

"No it ain't," Mikaela's dad disagreed from off-screen. Jaime huffed.

"Fine, his name can be something 'manly' like Bonecrusher and you can call him Bones for short." There was a pause.

"Eh, I guess that works." Mikaela glanced at her dad before giving Jaime an approving smile.

"Come here Bones," the brunette crooned to the dog. Maggie and Jaime laughed when the mastiff butted the teen off her stool with affection.

* * *

**Ratchet's POV**

The Autobot medic had finished the in-depth research of his personal side project months ago. He was currently working on finishing the prototype, when his sensors picked up on Jaime's approach. He quickly subspaced the item and busied himself by putting away some tools.

"Hey Ratch," the girl called. Ratchet glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Do you need something?" he asked.

"Not really," Jaime shrugged nonchalantly. The CMO faced her completely and scrutinized her. Jaime fidgeted for a few moments. "I uh…was wondering if you need help with anything?" she admitted. It was more of a question than a statement. Ratchet blinked at her.

"Are you planning some kind of prank? Is this meant to be some distraction?"

"No, no," the girl was quick to reply. "I, uh, was just looking for something to do." The CMO continued to study her. He knew that the girl considered him a friend just like the other Autobots, but she never came into his med bay without a reason.

"Is there something going on that I should know about?" he crossed his arms. Jaime bit her lip. Ratchet remained quiet and watched the conflict wage inside the girl. Her shoulders slumped when she came to her decision.

"Galloway's on base," she sighed. Ratchet growled. Now he understood. She was coming to his med bay to avoid the annoying twit. The medic silently offered Jaime his servo and the girl eagerly hopped on. He lifted her next to a counter that had numerous human-sized files stacked against some file cabinets.

"These files need to be organized in alphabetical order," he muttered. Jaime sighed in relief, and busied herself with the task. Ratchet worked on the week's medical report that needed to be sent to Optimus. The medic resisted the urge sigh, waiting for the inevitable comm. from Ironhide. Every time Galloway visited the base, the mech would rant to Ratchet about the stupidity of stupid humans and say that they were only good for target practice.

* * *

**Jaime's POV**

The girl hummed to herself as she worked on organizing the files. She was thankful that Ratchet caught on why she was hiding in the med bay. She really didn't understand why the government was set up the way it was. How could a man as annoying and thickheaded as Galloway get as high up as he was? Didn't his superiors realize how uncaring and idiotic he was? _Well at least he's not the Autobot liaison,_ Jaime snorted to herself. _God help us if that ever happened. _The girl froze. _Did she just…Nah._ Jaime wasn't one of those paranoid superstitious people. No one could possibly stupid enough to trust the douchebag with that much power. A grin flickered on the girl's face when she remembered how she first met Galloway.

_It was just another day at the Autobot base as NEST personnel walked down the halls, going on their business. All of a sudden, a small blur raced by. A cackling Jaime sped down the hall with her rollerblades. The humans had two reasons for sticking close to the halls. Reason number one was to avoid being stepped on—although there had been no incidents so far—by an Autobot. The second reason was Jaime. Ever since receiving her rollerblades, the girl's figure blazing by had become a common occurrence. There were the rare moments when a newbie did not know about Jaime's speeding in the halls and she would yell at them to get out of the way. The newbie would dive out of the way in fright, Jaime would laugh and apologize as she passed by, and everyone would continue on like it was no big deal. Today, Jaime was playing hallway tag with Sideswipe and Jazz in their holoforms. Since the holoforms possessed inhuman speed, it was agreed that Jaime would be allowed to use her famous rollerblades. Unfortunately, they had not been informed about the stranger in the suit that was unsuccessfully trying to gain access to enter the base. Jaime flew around the corner near the entrance and was surprised to see Will and Epps along with a stranger in her path. The man in the suit was ranting for whatever reason and was waving his hands around like a fool. _

"_Hey! Move it!" Jaime shouted, knowing she didn't have time to stop. The hallway was narrower than most and the three men were spread out, so there was no way Jaime could skate around them. Out of habit, Will and Epps wordlessly pressed themselves against the walls. _

"_What!" the man in the suit snarled, turning to face Jaime. The girl's last thought questioned the man's intellect. She had told him to move. Didn't she make herself clear? A second later she barreled into the man. They toppled and landed in a heap on the floor, Jaime on top. _

"_Aw shit," Epps muttered. Will reached down and pulled Jaime up as the man in the suit gained his bearings. She rubbed her bruised elbow with a scowl. The man stood and brushed himself off, before peering down at her with disdain. _

"_What kind of base are you running Major Lennox?" he glared at Will. Will opened his mouth to speak, but the douche in the suit didn't give him the chance to reply. "This isn't a daycare! Honestly, rollerblading in the halls? Who are you and what are you doing here?" He directed the last part towards Jaime. The girl snorted and tilted here head. _

"_I think the question is who are __**you**__?" The man bristled. _

"_Director Galloway, National Security Advisor of __**the President**__," he allowed himself a small smirk. Jaime's expression revealed how unimpressed she was. Really? Advisor to the President? Okay, that was cool. But not as cool as meeting aliens from outer space. _

"_Who are you?" Galloway glared at the girl. Jaime glanced at Will who gave her an indiscernible shrug. _

"…_Jaime." He smiled victoriously, under the impression that the girl was going to spill. _

"_And __**why**__ are __**you**__ here?" _

"_Classified," the girl smirked. Galloway's face became pinched. Before he could continue to interrogate her, she spun around and rollerbladed away. _

Jaime was brought back to the present when she heard Ratchet grunt.

"What's wrong?" she turned to him. The medic had an unpleasant expression on his faceplates.

"It's nothing," he waved her off, without even looking at her.

"Ratchet," she warned. Though he was the medic, Jaime had recently learned of Ratchet's habit of overworking. He wasn't as bad as Prowl, but he didn't recharge as much as he should.

"Ironhide just found out that Galloway is on base," the CMO grumbled. A grin crept on Jaime's face. _Ah,_ she thought in understanding. _I wonder if Hide will punt kick the oil tank again_…

* * *

Jaime stayed in the med bay alphabetizing the files, even an hour after Galloway had left. When she had finished, she went to the cafeteria and had dinner with Will's team. Now she was making her way back to her room. Unlike Hoover Dam—which had been mostly comprised of gigantic hangars—the Diego Garcia base could be divided into three general sections. There was the human side, the Autobot side, and the neutral territory. Unlike the other humans, Jaime's room was on the Autobot side. She didn't mind the size difference like some people did. After over a year of strengthening the bonds, she felt more at ease with the bots around. Jaime finally reached her door and tapped in her code before the human sized metal door slid open.

Next to it was a much larger Autobot sized door. She climbed up the spiral staircase attached to her loft and flopped on her bed. Since she was on the Autobot side, her room was Autobot sized. It was the smallest of the bedrooms, compared to the other bots' rooms. But it was still huge to her, at least four times larger than her room at the farm. A balcony had been added to place furniture and her personal belongings, so she didn't feel like a small ant in a giant metal box. The balcony took up about half the room. Jaime could sit on her bed and converse with any of the bots—who easily fit in the other half of the room—without craning her neck up at them from the floor.

Jaime exhaled and got ready for bed. She changed into her pajamas and brushed her teeth—she'd had her own mini bathroom installed—and hopped under the covers. The girl snuggled in their warmth. Before falling asleep she sent a goodnight tug to Jazz. The last thing she remembered before drifting to sleep was his answering tug.

_Jaime felt like she was suspended in midair. She would have found it disconcerting if she were not used to it. She felt a familiar presence brush up against her. It was the same presence she'd been dreaming of since a year ago. The presence came closer and they embraced, enjoying the closeness of another being. Jaime probed asking about the presence's wellbeing. The presence hesitated only briefly before admitting what had happened this time. Jaime had come to the conclusion that this presence was an Autobot somewhere in space. She knew it was an Autobot because the presence had told her that it was a prisoner on a Decepticon ship. Scenes flashed before her. Jaime pulled back with surprise. She'd seen Starscream. But Starscream was laying low on earth…wasn't he? Jaime felt a throb of pain stem from the presence. She pushed her questions to the back of her mind. She'd deal with them later. She had a job to do. _

_She knew the bot was being tortured. She normally had these dreams in between torture sessions and she would distract the bot from the pain. Although there had been a few times when they had been connected while the presence was being tortured. That was horrible. Jaime sifted through some memories and settled on telling the presence the story of Sideswipe's latest prank. She would always focus on the bots. She never told the presence about the humans and the base. She felt that the bot was trustworthy, but she didn't want to be feeding it sensitive information, especially since it was a prisoner. Hearing about its comrades always seemed to lift the presence's spirits. Jaime stayed with the presence sharing stories until she felt herself drift away. She embraced with the presence before they parted ways. _

Jaime opened her eyes. She languidly stretched in bed and glanced at the clock on the nearby nightstand. The clock read **7:15 AM**. The girl sighed and pushed herself into a sitting position. She found herself wondering about her dream. Starscream was apparently on a Decepticon ship, the same one with their Autobot prisoner. But Starscream had been sighted flying over a military base less than a month ago. So the ship must be somewhere in earth's solar system. Jaime got up and washed her face and got ready for the day. She had just finished changing into her clothes, wondering what was in store for the day, when a loud noise from the hallway gained her attention.

"I didn't do it Hatchet! I swear!" Sideswipe exclaimed as he skated down the hall. Jaime cocked here head. Heavy footsteps followed the prankster.

"Come back here fragger!" Ratchet bellowed. Jaime imagined the wrench the medic was surely waving at the silver mech as he pursued him down the hall. She leaned against her balcony, a smirk stretched on her face. _I guess it's going to be one of __**those**__ days,_ Jaime rolled her eyes.

* * *

_To Sympathy for the Lost Love (Since your PMing is off):__ No, Sunny doesn't make an appearance in I Feel Home…Yes, I am doing a sequel. Jaime has a lot of growing still. I'm not done with her yet :)_

**Author's Note: I'M BAACCKK! Hey all! Here's chapter one of Free Falling. It's kinda short…but I figured I left you guys hanging long enough. Hopefully the coming chapters should be longer :) **

**Also I'd like to make an announcement. I shall no longer be answering reviews at the end of the chapter. I'll be answering the by pming the reviewer, so I implore you to be logged in or leave your penname so I can answer that way (also you may want to make sure your pming is turned on so I can answer you). If you don't have an account, you are still very much welcome to leave a review! I absolutely love reviews/feedback, they make my day. I will still answer anonymous reviews at the end of each chapter, but I would like to cut down on the signed reviews so the word count of this story is more accurate. Thank you. :)**

**So drop me a review about what you think, what are you looking forward, etc. **

**Jazz: Finally! **

**Hubero: Don't you give me that. I only meant to take about a month to get the sequel out. Not my fault Jaime was extremely uncooperative. **

**Optimus: *Enters, fingers pinching his nose in frustration* **

**Jazz: Wha's wrong boss bot? **

**Optimus: Hubero, could you please talk to Sideswipe about his extracurricular activities? **

**Hubero: Why? **

**Optimus: He just got out of the brig yesterday. And now he's in it again. **

**Jazz: Wha' was it this time? **

**Optimus: *Deadpans* Ratchet's collection of wrenches are missing. **

**[Silence] **

**Jazz: Ya c'n't be serious. **

**Optimus: *Nods* **

**Hubero: *Chuckles* **

**Jazz: Wha's so funny? **

**Hubero: *Turns and walks away* What makes you think Sides is responsible?**


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or anything connected to the franchise...but I do own Jaime! She is my original character-no touchie!-and I also own the plot of Free Falling!_

* * *

Jaime strolled down the hallway, wondering if she should tell someone about her dream. But who should she tell? Will? Optimus? The girl decided there was no reason to tell Will, not yet. It wasn't like he could do anything about it. Maybe she should tell Optimus. Jaime frowned as she remembered seeing the Prime's worn face two days ago. It seemed that he was under a lot of stress lately with all the Decepticon attacks around the world. Jaime sighed, deciding not to bother the leader. He already had enough going on. Jaime ate a quick breakfast in the cafeteria and grabbed a green apple. She traveled to the far Southern section of the base. As she neared her destination, she began to pass large signs. She didn't even glance at them, already knowing what they said: **NO TRANSFORMING BEYOND THIS POINT. STAY IN VEHICLE MODE.**

Jaime reached the end of the hallway and opened the heavy door. She took a deep breath of fresh air and trotted towards the large building in the distance. It was a barn. Next to the barn was a large pasture. Jaime hopped up on the fence rail and whistled. Seconds later, a yellow streak raced toward the girl.

"Hey boy!" she laughed, giving Orion the green apple. The buckskin happily munched on the treat as Jaime scratched behind his ears. "Are you being a good boy?" she asked. The horse snorted. "Oh, is that too much to ask for?" Jaime spent the next few minutes, enjoying Orion's company. She was thankful that she had been allowed to bring Orion with her to the island. It had been difficult, but it had helped that both Will and Optimus agreed that Jaime may need company other than giant aliens and military personnel; she _was_ the youngest person on the island. She was wondering if she should take Orion for a ride when she felt someone watching her. She glanced over her shoulder to see a purple motorcycle resting silently a few yards away.

"Hey Arcee," she waved to the femme Autobot. Arcee gave a low rev in response. A few seconds later, she activated her holoform. After settling in on Earth, Ratchet had helped her install her very own holoform generator. She wore black leather pants tucked into black boots. A purple biker jacket with black accents clung to her, showing off her lithe body. She tossed back her dark hair—revealing her glowing blue eyes—as she joined Jaime by the fence. Orion sniffed the holoform and whinnied before prancing away. Jaime chuckled. The buckskin didn't seem to care for the Autobots' holoforms, as if he could sense they really weren't human. There were only two exceptions. He was more tolerant with the holoforms of Prowl and Optimus. Both had been interested in the organic animal and asked Jaime a dozen questions. What does it eat? What purpose does it serve? How intelligent are horses? Why is there such a fascination for the creatures found in femmes? Jaime was brought out of her musings when Arcee's holoform spoke.

"You okay?" Jaime glanced at her. "You seem to have a lot on your mind."

"Eh," the girl shrugged. "I'm fine." She noticed Arcee's disbelieving look. "Seriously, I'm okay."

"Did you have another one of those 'dreams'?" Arcee asked. It was now common knowledge among the bots that Jaime would sometimes have dreams that were influenced by the Allspark's energy, usually pertaining to past events. Jaime didn't answer. Arcee sighed, realizing that the girl wasn't going to open up. "If you need anyone to talk to…" she offered.

"I can come to you," Jaime gave her a small smile. "I know." It wasn't that she and Arcee weren't close. They were. Mikaela Banes and Maggie Madsen were the closest Jaime had ever had to older sisters. But Mikaela was currently on the other side of the world. And although Maggie tried to make time for the girl, she was often times working. It was nice to have another female figure in her life that she could go to for advice or have fun with. What Jaime really liked about Arcee—and few knew about—was her mischievous streak which could rival Sideswipe's. The femme was just much more subtle. But that was Arcee, built for speed and stealth. The two enjoyed the silence of the beautiful morning, watching Orion playfully harass the gelding—brought along to keep Orion company—at the other end of the pasture. Jaime couldn't help but think of Arcee's arrival to earth a few months ago, while they were still located at Hoover Dam. It was because of her arrival that Optimus along with the U.S. government realized that a larger base would be needed.

* * *

_Jaime sprinted down one of the large hallways of Hoover Dam. At first she had been confused when she felt the presence. She hadn't realized it was growing closer until she accidently tugged it. She'd nearly fell off her chair in the cafeteria when she'd received an answering tug, and responded by slamming the connection closed. She reached her destination and waited impatiently for the metal door to whoosh open. Finally, Jaime stepped onto the catwalk and hurried over to Will, who was discussing something with the majestic Prime. _

"_Optimus!" she huffed. Both dropped their conversation to face her. _

"_Jaime?" Will frowned. "What's wrong?" Jaime hunched over and put up a hand, sucking in much needed oxygen. _

"_Call…the others…here…" she gasped to the concerned Prime. The girl assumed that Optimus had commed the others because by the time she'd caught her second wind, the other bots had entered the hangar. Bumblebee was the only one not present since he was fulfilling his guardianship duties with Sam Witwicky. _

"_What is it Jaime?" Optimus asked, leaning closer to the catwalk. _

"_I…I felt it! I didn't realize what it was at first, but I felt it!" the girl exclaimed. _

"_Felt what?" Ratchet asked, taking a step forward. Jaime twitched when she felt a scan wash over her. _

"_Ratchet!" she whined. "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't scan before asking!"_

"_Wha' did ya feel Jaime?" Jazz asked, trying to get the girl on track. Jaime placed her hand over her chest. _

"_I felt it…a tug," The bots looked at each other, trying to determine who Jaime was referring to and not understanding the significance. They sent her tugs throughout the day all the time. _

"…_And?..." Sideswipe prodded. _

"_It's getting closer!" Jaime's stressed. "I think we're about to get our first new arrival!" Before anyone could even think to refute her claim, a console next to Will began to beep. Will hunched over to peer at the screen. _

"_Jaime's right!" Will straightened. "An unidentified object just entered earth's atmosphere, and is likely to touch down in roughly twenty minutes." Movement erupted, Will started issuing orders, and everyone prepared to leave. Within minutes, Will had gathered a small group of soldiers, including Epps and Ricky. At the same time, Optimus and his Autobots were ready to go. The soldier piled into two military jeeps and Jaime hopped into Jazz's alt mode. Optimus lead the way, flanked by Prowl and Ironhide. Jazz followed with Ratchet and the military jeeps trailing behind. _

_When they reached the landing site, Jazz hung back with Jaime before it was confirmed that Jaime could approach. As soon as the saboteur popped open the back door, Jaime jumped out, eager to greet the new arrival. She paused when she noticed that there were three new arrivals. Jazz easily scooped her up and placed her on his shoulder. Jaime wasn't fazed whatsoever, completely familiar with the action. When Jazz joined the semi-circle of Autobots, Jaime got a good look at the three new bots. She was surprised to realize that they were, in fact, shorter than Jazz. Before she could mention her observation to Jazz, she paused. Jaime tilted her head. Not only were these three the shortest bots she'd ever seen. They were also so…lithe…and graceful looking. They weren't bulky at all. They almost seemed…curvy. _

"_Jaime," Optimus stepped forward, capturing the girl's attention. "This is Arcee." He gestured to the one in the middle, who smiled at her. _

"_Hello," she spoke, her voice sounded light and smooth. _

"_Hello," Jaime mimicked with a wave, recognizing that the bot had already downloaded earth's languages. _

"_And her sisters Chromia and Elita-One," Optimus continued, gesturing to the two on either side, with an indiscernible emotion in his optics. The two nodded at her and Jaime nodded back. _

"_Wow," Ricky murmured from below. "You three look so…" The three bots waited for him to finish. "…uh...graceful looking…" _

"_Tha's probably 'cause they're femmes," Jazz explained. _

"_Femmes?" Epps repeated. "Since when have you guys had femmes." Will elbowed his second in the side. _

"_Of course they have females," he whispered. _

"_You knew?" Epps raised an eyebrow. "Since when were you such an expert?" _

"_Honestly, an alien species having genders?" Will sighed, repressing the urge to roll his eyes. "It's not that hard to believe."_

_While the military men settled their differences, Jaime studied the femmes. She cautiously reached out to the middle one, Arcee. The femme's optics brightened and focused on the girl. Jaime fumbled a little, since the connection was very weak, and gave a short tug on the hot pink thread. Arcee gently tugged back as if sensing the girl's hesitation. Jaime allowed a small smile before focusing her attention on the femme to the right, Chromia. The girl reached out again. She frowned when she failed to sense a connection. Jaime closed her eyes, and was assaulted by the pool of threads that connected her to every Cybertronian. She sifted through the lights. She found Arcee's but could not find Chromia's and Elita's. Weird, she mused and opened her eyes. The more she studied the two femmes, the more uneasy she felt. It was like they weren't even there. After a year of being around bots, she had come to expect the snippets of emotion, the feel of their nearby presence. But she couldn't feel anything from the two strange femmes. Jaime found it rather disconcerting to be near such a large metal being without being able to discern its intentions. _

"_We'll head back to base as soon as the alt modes we radioed for are here. They should be here any moment," Will was saying. Not moments later, a military jeep pulled up with a trailer attached. In the trailer were three motorcycles. The three femmes viewed their choices: pink, blue and purple. Arcee chose the purple, Chromia chose the blue, and Elita chose the pink. After scanning their new alt modes, the femmes folded down until there were six motorcycles. _

"_Autobots," Optimus's booming voice called out. "Transform and roll out." Making a snap decision, Jaime grasped the royal blue thread that connected her to the Prime and gave it a tug. He turned to her and she sent him her need to talk to him over the bond. He gave a small nod and transformed into the Peterbuilt semi. Jazz set her down and—after Jaime had explained to him that she needed to speak with Optimus—collapsed into his Pontiac solstice. _

_It wasn't until after the convoy was hallway back to base, that Jaime finally asked her question. _

"_Why are they different?" Jaime had her legs crossed on the seat as she sat in the Prime's passenger seat. _

"_Who?" Optimus' voice filled the cabin. _

"…_Chromia and Elita," Jaime clarified. The Autobot leader did not answer. "I…I can't feel them like you guys. Why is that?" _

"_Because," the Prime sighed. "there is no spark for you to feel." _

"_What do you mean? They look just like Arcee," Jaime tilted her head. _

"_Yes…" Optimus paused, trying to decide how to explain. "But…they are not _true_ Cybertronians. They are no more than above average drones. Arcee is the leader of the unit. Because of her superior processing speed, she is able to efficiently control three modes at once. Before my team left Cybertron, Arcee had decided to upgrade from her one form to three. It was decided that her two units would be disguised as Chromia and Elita." _

"_Why?" _

"_Elita is the femme Autobot commander and Chromia is her second, meaning they are each a rather large target to the Decepticons, especially since they are femmes."_

"_So somewhere in space are the real Chromia and Elita?" Jaime asked. _

"_Yes," Optimus sighed. _

"_So they're like clones, a diversion to keep the originals safe," Jaime concluded. _

"_Yes," The prime sighed again, sounding even wearier. The girl frowned at the dashboard. _

"_Hey," she patted the seat. "Stop being such a worry wart. They'll make it to earth. You'll see." _

"…_Thank you Jaime," Optimus responded, not sounding as dejected as before. _

"_Anytime big guy," Jaime grinned. "Now turn on those tunes would ya?" _

* * *

Jaime stretched and hopped off the fence.

"I hear Major Lennox is interviewing possible instructors today," Arcee commented as they headed back to base, her alt mode trailing behind. Jaime groaned. She had hoped that by being on an island, she'd be able to skip school. But Sarah had been adamant that Jaime not get behind on her schooling.

"I don't know why they think they need to hire a tutor," Jaime grumbled. "I mean, Ratchet knows more about science than anyone I know. Optimus is like a giant supercomputer that can find anything about history. You could probably teach me English." Arcee snorted.

"I could teach you much more than English."

"All I can hope is that no one will meet the requirements or won't pass the heavy screening tests to get on base," the girl mumbled. They were inside now. They passed the doorway that lead to the Tech department side of the base. "See ya Arcee," Jaime waved before stepping into the large room. The room—dubbed the Control Room—was filled with rows of computers. Each one had a techie hunched over the keyboard, peering into the monitors. Jaime passed by all the workers, searching for one person in particular. Her eyes swept the room, but she was disappointed when she didn't spot a flash of blonde hair. She trotted towards the front to talk to someone who would know where Maggie was. When she saw that he was at his computer station, Jaime slowed and slunk around so that she was approaching him from the back. She silently crept up behind him until she was almost hanging over his shoulder. She bent down to whisper in his ear.

"Hey Glenn!"

"AHHH!" the overweight African American man screamed as he spun around in his chair. Jaime leaned back, unable to hide her amused grin, allowing Glenn Whitman to regain his composure. The other techies in the room either chuckled or rolled their eyes. Some people huffed in annoyance at the unprofessional behavior, but not many. Glenn attempted to muster a glare at Jaime, but the girl just snorted at his failed attempt. Glenn could be sitting atop one of Ironhide's cannons, and he still wouldn't look intimidating. "You gave me a heart attack!" he hissed.

"Watch your words Glenn," Jaime smirked. "or Ratchet will come busting through those doors to scan you." Both of them glanced at the door, waiting to see if the crazy medic would indeed come busting through the doors. It didn't matter how many times the CMO heard the human phrase regarding heart attacks. He'd always scan the person and then berate them for spreading such a false claim. After a few seconds, the girl turned back to the techie. "So where's Maggie?"

"She's in some kind of meeting," he shrugged, turning back to his screen.

"Oh," Jaime visibly deflated. Upon hearing the tone of her voice, Glenn glanced back at her.

"Uh…I can't get past this level…wanna give it a try?" he gestured to his gaming laptop sitting next to him on the desk. The techie would often times get stuck on a game level, and ask Jaime to give it a shot. Every time she would beat the level. The first time it had happened, Glenn had gaped at her and asked how she did that. She had just shrugged and said she'd been able to keep up with the game.

"What is it this time?" Jaime pulled up a chair and sat down. Glenn's eyes became animated as he explained the game, saying that it was the Apocalypse and earth was undergoing a zombie invasion. He continued by describing the objective of the level was to make it to a van so you could run over all zombies.

"But I keep getting eaten after the battery of the weed whacker dies," Glenn nearly whined.

"I'll see what I can do," the girl chuckled and turned to the laptop. She was too immersed into the game to notice Glenn's satisfied grin.

* * *

After beating the game level, Jaime spent the rest of the day with some of the NEST soldiers who had the day off. They were having a _Just Dance_ tournament on the Wii, and Jaime had fun beating them. Since absorbing the Allspark, she'd become faster and stronger than a normal human being. She was also quick and agile. If she had two arms, she may have considered taking dance lessons. As the day came to a close, Jaime returned to her room and changed into her pajamas. She sent a goodnight tug to Jazz before falling asleep. Jaime had hoped to dream of the Decepticon prisoner that night, but it was not to be.

* * *

_An ancient tribe of humans—warriors, Jaime realized—were traveling on a patch of rocky terrain. The girl watched them as they searched in a crude formation. Searching for what? Her unspoken question was soon answered when a tiger hurdled over a rock. The hunters raised their spears and charged the animal. The tiger bared his teeth before belting out a loud roar, and fled in the opposite direction. The band of hunters gave chase, leaping over the rocky terrain with surprising agility. The tiger disappeared in a long stretch of undergrowth. The hunters slowed and silently approached it. As one, the party sprang over the vegetation, expecting to see the tiger. Jaime could not believe what she was seeing. These crudely clothed humans had to be an ancient tribe that lived thousands of years ago. _

_Yet over the ridge, sprawled a giant metal structure, a giant Cybertronian structure. And that wasn't all. Dozens of Cybertronians—Decepticons, judging by their violently jagged bi-pedal forms—milled around the structure. Upon further inspection, Jaime realized that they were constructing the metal object. What it was supposed to be, she couldn't tell. But if it was being built by the Decepticons, it couldn't be good. Jaime's musings were cut short as movement caught her eye. One of the Cybertronians must have noticed the group of humans because it jumped onto the same ridge the tribe was standing. This one seemed different from the others. He carried a large metal scepter, which seemed to radiate power. The mech—it was definitely a mech considering it's bulky physique and considerable height—peered down at the tribe of humans with his blood red eyes with what looked like a sneer on his mouth plates. _

_Jaime gasped at what happened next. She knew Decepticons didn't care about humans. She was aware that they had killed before. She knew that, but it was different to actually witness it. The humans stumbled to the ground due to the force of the Cybertronian's landing. Helpless, the Cybertronian directed his giant pede toward the cluster of hunters. All but one human were able to avoid his foot. Jaime cringed upon seeing the man's lower body trapped by the metal foot. The Cybertronian merely regarded the human with a calculating look as it removed its foot. Jaime looked away as the human's body was tossed in the air and fell back to the ground, not moving. _

_The Cybertronian bent over and picked up a human, causing the poor person to scream and thrash. The mech seemed to quickly lose interest and flung the human aside. Jaime flinched upon hearing the body hit the ground, but refused to look to see if he moved. Instead, her gaze remained on the Cybertronian. He turned, and for a moment, his blood gaze seemed to penetrate her. His mouth plates opened in the shape of snarl._

* * *

_The scene changed. The terrain seemed to be the same, dry and rocky. But it no longer appeared barren. Not with the hundreds of thousands of Cybertronians packed together. Clanks and hisses filled the air. At first Jaime expected to see the Cybertronians all transform. Instead the rushed each other. Mechs tried to pull each other apart, stab each other with their very claws. Jaime soon realized that she was witnessing an immense battle. It was near impossible to watch all the small skirmishes, there were so many. Her attention, however, was snagged by a Cybertronian in the middle of it all when he raised a giant scepter. The girl gasped, realizing it was the mech she had seen moments before. The mech held the scepter in one servo. In the other, it held a small gleaming curved piece of metal. The object seemed to pulse with power. _

_Suddenly, the Cybertronian was swarmed by other mechs and he tried to fend them off with his scepter. But he was unable to defeat them since he was outnumbered. Their own scepters pierced his body and thrust him off his rock. The gleaming object hovered in the air and Jaime was able to get a clearer glimpse at it. It wasn't smooth like she had expected, but comprised of numerous ridges. It was quickly grabbed though, and the group of Cybertronians that had defeated the previous mech fled the battle with the mysterious object._

_As Jaime watched the mechs leave, a deep voice filled her head. _

"_The Fallen shall rise again." What? Jaime glanced at the fallen mech to see that he was watching his enemies escape. The mech clicked and hissed at them. Jaime knew he was talking because for whatever odd reason, she understood him. _

"_This is not over," the mech growled. Jaime felt a wave of trepidation upon hearing his words. As the scene faded, Jaime was left to wander what she had just witnessed. The dark ominous words reverberated in her mind. _

"_The Fallen shall rise again."_

* * *

Angel wolf: Thank you! :D

RayVin The Fox: Awesome! Heh heh…sorry about that :) I'm so glad that so many people like Jaime! She's got such a growing fan base :D

Hawkie-Chan: Haha! Gee, thanks! :D Ah yes…Galloway. I shall take much pleasure in knocking down the fool head a peg or two *nod nod* Ha! Let's just say…Jaime will make sure he gets what's coming to him…It's cool, I understand. Thanks for your review! :)

ForgotMyName2Day: That's fine. I started answering reviews at the end of chapters because it was easier than PMing everyone separately (and to make sure I didn't miss a review, because I'd feel really bad if I did). But as more people review, the longer the answers at the end became. Which is completely fine! I **love** reviews. But the word count of the story wasn't as accurate because of that. I didn't think it was fair to the reader to expect a five thousand word chapter when two thousand words were simply answering reviews and the authors note at the end. I did not mean to sound like I was trying to exclude guests, because I'm not. I choose to leave reviewing open for guests because I understand that not everyone can have an account. I made that announcement last chapter with you, the reader, in mind. I will still answer guest reviews at the end. I was just letting people know that if they did have an account, that I would try to answer their review through a PM. Thank you for taking the time to share your opinion, and I hope you enjoy future chapters :)

* * *

**Authors Note: Eh hem *clears throat and glances back and forth* First of all, I would like to apologize for the ridiculously long wait. It's crunch time at school and well…I've never written Arcee before. And every time I tried to write her, it came out wrong. *Mutters* It was like banging my head against the wall for two months…**

**Arcee: *Yells* What was that? **

**Me: err…nothing…**

**So yea, I just forced myself to sit down and finish this chapter. I hope I got the Arcee interaction alright, although I have to admit, I'm quite happy with the dream part at the end. As compensation for the long wait, not only are you getting this chapter, but a second one as well. That's right. I'm updating _TWO_ chapters to make up for the long wait. Aren't you guys just so damn lucky? ;D So go on and read the next chapter already! What are you waiting for? :) **

**~Hubero**


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I don't own transformers or any of the Autobots! But Jaime and the plot are completely one hundred percent mine! :D_

* * *

Jaime couldn't help but tap her foot animatedly. She heard Jazz chuckle at her excitement to her left. She was in too high of spirits to muster a fake glare in his direction. She scanned her surroundings once more. She—along with the Autobots and some NEST soldiers—were waiting near the outskirts of a small town in Argentina. Jaime glanced at the closest building—about a half mile away—which was an abandoned ice cream shop. It still had the ice cream truck parked outside. Will craned his neck to look up at the regal Prime.

"Do we know who's coming?" he asked. Optimus shook his head.

"They are not responding to our communications," the Autobot leader frowned, "and they are masking their signals. We do not know of their allegiance." Optimus peered at the excited Jaime. "Can you discern their identity?"

"Hmm?" Jaime tore her eyes from the sky to look up at the Autobot leader.

"Do you know who the fragging new arrivals are?" Ratchet grounded. The girl raised a brow.

"What crawled up your aft-pipe and died?" she muttered. Sideswipe snorted, unable to contain his amusement.

"Are they Autobots?" Ironhide asked, ignoring the silver prankster. Jaime nodded, gazing at the sky once again.

"Yes."

"You sure?" Epps asked from a few feet away. Jaime's eyes twinkled as her smile morphed into a full Cheshire grin.

"Oh, I'm _very_ sure," she chuckled, as if enjoying some secret joke. Jazz seemed to be the only one who wasn't confused, as if he knew here Jaime was thrilled to meet.

"So…you know who the new arrivals are?" Sideswipe asked. Jaime didn't have a chance to respond because at that moment, two meteors streaked across the sky. The two large shapes descended over the group and plowed into the ground and into the old ice cream shop.

"Holy shit," Epps muttered. "Good thing no one was in there."

"Oh Primus no," Ratchet begged.

"What's wrong?" Will asked as the group began edging towards the landing site. The thrum of Ironhide's cannons filled the air.

"There's only two bots in the entire galaxy that would be that sloppy when touching down on a planet," Ironhide grumbled. A compilation of metallic whirls, clicks and clanking filled the air. Jaime blinked and glanced at Optimus. The foreign sounds had originated from him. But it wasn't the strange sounds that had her gaping. It was the fact that she understood what he said.

**/Deactivate your weapons and reveal your identities./**

_Did…did Optimus just speak Cybertronian?_ Jaime wondered. Before she could ponder more about her new discovery, two forms rose from the fallen ice cream structure. Surprisingly, the truck was completely unharmed.

"Yo, dat waz so coo'!"

"Le's do dat again man!" **Clank!** All the humans jumped at the noise and turned to the source of the noise. Jaime tilted her head upon realizing that their CMO had just facepalmed.

"Primus help us," Ironhide muttered.

"Help us?" Will glanced at the black mech. "Are they not Autobots?"

"They shouldn't be," Ratchet groused, eyeing the newcomers as they approached.

"Yo, it's de big man 'imself!" The two new Autobots stood—somewhat at attention—in front of Optimus.

"Greetings," the Prime nodded at them. "I see you have already begun to assimilate yourself to earth's culture." **Ring Ring!** Will fumbled in his pockets before finally pulling out his military issued cellphone.

"Sorry, uh …just a minute," the major trotted a few feet away and answered the phone. Optimus turned to Jaime. The leader knelt down and offered her his servo. The girl easily hopped on and gripped his thumb as he carefully lifted her up.

"Jaime," Optimus spoke, "I would like to introduce you to—"

"Skids and Mudflap," she beamed. "I've heard a lot about you guys." The two bots exchanged a glance.

"Dat so?"

"Ya look kinda 'appy tho'."

"I am," Jaime nodded. She sneaked a glance at her guardian before smirking at the twins. "Jazz has told me some pretty interesting stories. I think we're going to get along just wonderfully." The twins grinned at her.

"Oooh! Do you like ta' frag off ol' 'atchet too?"

"Man, dis is gonna be awesome!"

"Don't even think about it," Ratchet growled.

"The last thing we need is for you two slaggers to corrupt her," Ironhide added with a scowl.

"How the hell are we supposed to do that?!" Will exclaimed, effectively stopping all conversation. The man sighed and rubbed his temples. "And how long will that take?" The man groaned at the answer he received before abruptly hanging up. "Great, just great."

"Trouble?" Optimus asked.

"Sorry guys, but you came earlier than expected," Will directed at the twins before facing Optimus to answer his question. "You know how NEST had to find two alt-modes under such short notice?" The Prime nodded. "Well apparently, they're no longer in stock and when NEST ordered the vehicles online, the website hadn't updated that they were out of stock."

"So…what's the base sending over for alt-modes?" Epps asked.

"They don't have anything that will meet the size requirements," Will shook his head. "Maybe you can use something temporary on base, but we have to get there first. And neither of you have an earth disguise."

"When's the soonest NEST can get the new alt-modes?" Jaime inquired.

"Ten to eighteen days."

"Are you serious?" Epps raised a brow.

"The higher ups are being really difficult right now," Will muttered.

"No shit," Epps snorted. Jaime frowned. They needed to head back to where the cargo plane was waiting. But that was miles away, and there was a strong possibility that they'd be driving past people. The procession of vehicles was already a bit strange looking to any onlooker. Add a couple of walking robots, and they'd have pandemonium everywhere. Jaime's eyes rested on the ice cream truck nearby, which was halfway hidden by the now wrecked shop. She tilted here head.

"So we need an alt-form right now," she mused aloud.

"Pretty much," Will ran a hand through his military buzzed hair.

"Well there's one right over there," she pointed to the truck. Heads and helms turned to view the ice cream truck.

"Man, dat's seriously ol' schoo'."

"We's gonna be so undercovah yo." The twins strode over to the alt-form and scanned it.

"Is it the correct size?" Optimus asked.

"Nah." The twins finished scanning it. "It's too big." Everyone seemed to let out a disappointed sigh. The twins shared a glance.

"Bu' we c'n make it work, righ' bro?"

"Yea, cuz we awesome like dat." The two newcomers suddenly activated their transformation sequences. The sounds of clanging metal on metal and hissing hydraulics assaulted the air. Jaime grinned upon seeing the twins' idea. One had transformed into the front half of the ice cream truck, and the other into the back half.

"That's brilliant you guys!" Jaime grinned.

"Aw, shucks girl."

"Ain't you jus' swee' as c'n be."

"Autobots, transform and roll out."

* * *

No one quite understood it. Perhaps it was because Jaime had called them brilliant or the fact that she didn't avoid them or constantly tell them to go away, but for some reason, the twins had really taken to the girl. The twins, Mudflap and Skids, loved hanging out with Jaime. She never banged their heads together like Ironhide, or threw things at them like Hatchet, and she seemed to actually value what they said. Some of the bots had believed that the twins viewed Jaime as a little sister to constantly impress. But they realized that was not the case one late summer day.

"TWINS!" Movement stopped in the rec room. The rec room was Autobot sized, but had a balcony wrapped around the entire room with human sized furniture too. Jaime had been sitting on a large table top—surrounded by Jazz, Sideswipe, and the twins—as she explained to them how to play the card game Blackjack. Ironhide and Optimus had just entered the room when the angry bellow rang out. Jaime turned to the twins.

"What did you guys do this time?" she asked, barely able to keep a straight face.

"We didn' do nothin'," Mudflap defended.

"Yea, we's been here de whole time," Skids added. Before they could further argue their point, a pissed Ratchet stomped into the room.

"WHERE IS IT?" he made a beeline towards the twins.

"'ey, calm down yo," Skids tried to placate the steamed medic.

"I ASKED YOU WHERE IS IT?"

"Where is what Ratchet?" Optimus asked, once he recovered from his surprise.

"My data pad is missing," he growled lowly.

"Is that all?" Jaime asked.

"Is that—I had some extremely important information on there!" he griped.

"What kind of information?" the girl tilted her head. Ratchet huffed angrily and glared at the twins.

"Where. Is. It?" The twins glanced at each other. Unable to contain himself any longer, Ratchet subspaced two wrenches with blinding speed and the twins cried out as a wrench came down on each head.

"Ow! Dat hurts man!"

"Wha' was dat fo'?!"

"Give me that data pad!"

"Ratchet!" Optimus strode forward, taking control of the situation.

"Skids and Mudflap," he addressed the twins who rubbed their aching helms. "Did you take Ratchet's data pad." The twins shared another glance.

"…Maybe…" Optimus sighed.

"Return it to him immediately, and then report to Prowl for your punishment." The twins' optics brightened and they began to talk over one another.

"Bu' we was gonna give it back—"

"We jus wanted—"

"An' we only wanted it cuz—"

"Dat's some serious research on dat thin'—"

"We was gonna show it ta'—"

"Guys," Jaime interrupted them. They silenced and looked at her. "You should give Ratchet his data pad back." Everyone blinked at her.

"Bu'—" Mudflap began.

"I love pranks and all, but I have to draw the line at stealing data pads," she continued.

"We didn' steal it, we was jus' borrowin'," Skids muttered.

"What if it had some really important medical information on it that could save someone's life?" she asked them. "What if, after you had taken it, Ratchet had really needed it to perform his job?" The twins didn't try to interrupt her this time. Instead, they slumped a little, realizing the serious consequences of their actions. "Pranks are only funny if they're harmless…okay?"

"Sorry Jaime," Skids apologized.

"Yea, we sorry," Mudflap nodded. Jaime gestured to Ratchet.

"Aww man…" Skids whined, "do we hafta?" Jaime nodded. The twins squirmed a little.

"Uh…sorry fo' borrowin' yer data pad," Skids finally spoke.

"We was gonna sneak it back, 'onest," Mudflap added. Jaime felt the sudden shock from all the bots in the room through her bonds. Ratchet looked like he was about to offline. Optimus looked like he wasn't sure if he'd just heard the apology coming from the twins. Ironhide was looking at the twins like they'd just been replaced by drones. Sideswipe had his helm cocked, and Jazz had a little smirk on his face.

Jaime cleared her throat. The twins glanced down at her again. She made a 'give it back to him' gesture. The twins sighed in unison, and Skids brought out a data pad before handing it to Ratchet. The medic wordlessly accepted the data pad with his research for his personal project saved on it. Minutes passed before Ratchet slowly stepped back and walked out of the room. At the door, he paused and looked back at the twins—with a look of bewilderment on his face—before leaving the rec room.

"What the frag just happened?" Ironhide muttered.

"Mudflap…Skids," Optimus struggled to voice aloud what he wanted to say.

"Yea, yea," Skids waved him off.

"We goin'," Mudflap grumbled. And they shuffled out of the room, the bots—mostly Ironhide and Optimus—were left to wonder what they just witnessed. Jaime watched them with a small proud smile. With the time she had spent getting to know them and forming their bond, she'd learned that they weren't complete idiots like most thought. They weren't brilliant by any means. But they were a lot smarter than they were given credit for. They often handled stress by cracking jokes or shoving each other, to reassure themselves that things would work out.

It was from that moment on that the bots realized that the twins looked _up_ to Jaime, figuratively speaking. Though the twins were technically much older than Jaime, they viewed her as an older sister, and often sought out her approval. They still listened to Optimus, usually, but Jaime had a better handle on them because she seemed to understand them better. And when _she_ corrected them for some behavior, it was much more effective.

Later that day, Jaime passed by a hallway and paused upon seeing the twins. They were fulfilling their punishment handed out to them by Prowl, buffing the skid marks off the floor.

"Hey guys," Jaime approached them. They merely grunted in return. The girl suppressed the urge to grin at their sulking. "I just wanted to say…I'm proud of you guys." They paused in their cleaning to look at her.

"Wha' fo'?" Skids asked.

"It takes a lot of character to take responsibility for your actions," she smiled at them.

"It's no' dat much fun," Mudflap grumbled.

"No, I guess it isn't," Jaime mused. "But you guys should still be proud of yourselves. If you guys really wanted to pull a prank so bad, you should have told me. I'm always game." Their optics brightened.

"Yea man!" Skids crowed.

"Who we gonna ge'?" Mudflap asked excitedly.

"Ah," Jaime held up finger. "No plotting until you've finished." She turned and began to walk away. "Come talk to me when you're done." The twins watched her disappear around the corner and shared a look before attacking the floors with new fervor. Cleaning the floors didn't seem so unbearable now. The twins soon began to hum a song to make the time go by faster.

* * *

**Prowl's POV**

The SIC strode down the hall to check on the twins, half expecting them to do one of the following: doing a poor job and finishing their punishment early, or abandon their post after becoming fed up with the chore. When he reached the juncture where he had left the twins, he froze. He blinked his optics to confirm what he was seeing. The twins were still in the hallway, scrubbing away at the skid marks. And they were actually getting _rid_ of the tire marks. Not only that, but they were grinning as they worked. Prowl stared at them suspiciously, thinking they were plotting something. But under closer observation, he realized that their smiles were not mischievous, but purely genuine, as if they were…enjoying…the task. Was that…Prowl tilted his helm. Yes! There were actually _humming_ as they labored. Prowl's logic processor worked overtime to understand what he was seeing. The twins were being punished. They shouldn't be enjoying their task. It was monotonous and mind-numbing. Yet…there they were scrubbing away with grins on their faceplates…and…humming!

**Warning! Error! **

**System cannot compute.**

**Error in observations. **

It didn't make sense. The bewildered Prowl watched on, unable to move.

**Warning: Systems crash imminent! Prepare for system shut down. **

These couldn't be the twins Skids and Mudflap, Prowl concluded. Or something had happened to their processors. Yes! There had to be something he was missing. He wasn't really seeing the twins. It must be some kind of…Hologram! That was it! The twins had set up a hologram so it looked like they were working diligently when they were actually off somewhere causing mayhem. Prowl felt his logic system stabilize and he let out a sigh, content that he had solved that puzzle. At that moment, the twins looked up.

"Oh, 'ey Prowl!" Skids called.

"We's almost done!" Mudflap added cheerfully.

**System reboot initiated. 3…2…1…**

Prowl glitched on the spot.

* * *

**Authors Note: Yay! Two chapters in one day! And Skids and Mudflap finally made it to earth! I hope I got their characters right. I feel like their should be more depth to them besides cussing, their gang slang and so on. So…this is the part where you leave me a review about say…your favorite part, what you liked about this chapter, what you're looking forward to (many of you have mentioned some unsavory things happen to a certain National Security ****Advisor of the Present), and so on. ****And let me know what you thought of Arcee and the twins :) Also, if there are any grammar mistakes, feel free to let me know. I proofread it a dozen times. But I admit, I really wanted to get this out for you guys today, so I may have missed a few things. And so, without further procrastination...Review!**

**Jazz: Tha's righ', leave a comment about this an' the las' chapter. She likes t' hear feedback from 'er peeps. No review is too long. **

**Hubero: Thanks Jazz for coming in. Ratchet, Ironhide and Prowl all refused to come in. Sides is in the brig for some ungodly reason. Optimus is dealing with some stuff politicians. Jolt and the Arcee unit are on some mission. And Jaime's having father daughter time with Will. **

**Jazz: Why didn' ya ask the twins t' come? **

**Hubero: *gives the mech a look* I don't know if I trust them to do this part yet. **

**Jazz: *Shrugs* We done 'ere? **

**Hubero: Yea...Wanna go paint-balling? **

**Jazz: Pit yea!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I don't own any transformers, whether they Autobot or Decepticon. But I do own Jaime and the plot of Free Falling! _

**In my excitement to update the last two chapters, I forgot to thank all of you lovely readers for reviewing. So I'd like to now take the time to thank to those who reviewed! **

**Reviewers of Chapter 1:**** JetCycle, Kurohane Ookami, kiwi8fruit, AllSpark Princess, Repenned, MidnightDarkskiesbluemoon, DragonRiderWarrior, Autobot StarRacer, PaDiYaFLAME, TheGhost129, Sunstreaker's Squishy, ForgotMyName2Day, AfterShock35, Jazz's lil ninja, KayleeChiara, PurpleLunaWolf, WingBladeWeaver1357, heavenslilagl420, Hawkie-Chan, elita13, RayVin The Fox, Egyptian Assassin, lexibob1, Darkest Women, Autobot Shadowstalker, Shewolf-skittles-twist14, Jazzfan0217, and Angel wolf.**

**Reviewers of Chapter 2****: KayleeChiara.**

**Reviewers of Chapter 3:**** Jazz's lil ninja, Kurohane Ookami, Autobot Shadowstalker, Hawkie-chan, BeastRage the Hunter, Shewolf-skittles-twist14, PurpleLunaWolf, Allspark Princess, heavenslilagl420, Lynn Kinght, MidnightDarkskiesbluemoon, Guest, Jazzfan0217, DragonRiderWarrior, WingBladeWeaver1357, and RiverOfTheWolf.**

_Thank you so much for taking the time to comment! Your feedback motivates me to update faster :)_

* * *

Jaime shifted her weight, unable to bring herself to knock on the metal door. She didn't know why. It wasn't like she had anything to be nervous about. Why was she hesitating? The girl took a deep breath and raised her fist to rap on the door. Jaime jumped back when the door suddenly whisked open. Ratchet stood towering over her with an optic ridge raised.

"Are you going to stand out there all day or come inside already?" the grumpy medic asked before walking back inside his med bay. Jaime's sweaty fingers spazzed a little in anxiety but she silently followed the CMO inside his lair. She climbed onto the offered servo and hopped onto the giant berth.

"We'll just start with the first level scans and proceed from there," Ratchet explained—like he always did—before proceeding to scan the girl. It was time for Jaime's checkup. When Ratchet had first learned that Jaime housed Allspark energy, he had insisted that he scan her every other day. Now, months later, the medic had become less paranoid about Jaime's health and checkups were about once a week. The CMO would start with a first level scan—which was simply a general light scan—and progress to deeper and much more thorough scans. Jaime didn't really know the specifics. She had asked the medic about the scans once, and soon regretted it as he launched into a long and very detailed description of the different types of scans medics performed. She'd understood every word, thanks to her above average processing speed caused by the Allspark's energy, but that didn't mean that she found it interesting.

Jaime shifted a little as Ratchet worked through the many level of scans using his alien medical equipment, but still didn't say anything, which was unusual. By now, the girl would have started a conversation with the medic, mainly as a way to distract herself, and he would comply. Instead, Jaime didn't speak a word. She was too deep in thought, trying to decide if she should tell Ratchet about her new discovery. It had been a surprise to her when she'd understood Cybertronian in a dream. But it was a dream. They weren't supposed to make sense. But when she'd heard Optimus speak Cybertronian—which was the first time one of the bots had spoken their native language in her vicinity—she'd been blown away, and she didn't have the 'it was just a dream' excuse.

"Any new side effects?" Ratchet's question brought Jaime out of her thoughts. She looked up at him, surprised that the exam was done already. The medic was now putting his tools away. Jaime bit her lip and tilted her head. There hadn't really been any new side effects from the Allspark energy for quite some time. Was the ability to understand Cybertronian really important to mention? Especially when it could possibly change Ratchet back into his previous overbearing self?

* * *

**Ratchet's POV**

The medic turned to face the girl when she didn't answer his question. He noted her puckered bottom lip and her glazed over eyes. Ratchet could tell she was considering something, but decided not to interrupt her train of thought. After a few moments, her gaze sharpened and she looked at the waiting CMO.

"Hey Ratch', can you do me a favor?" Ratchet resisted the urge to immediately say no. Primus knows what kind of shenanigans she was constantly plotting to involve him in.

"…What is the favor?" he responded instead.

"Can…can you say something in Cybertronian?" she tentatively asked. Well, he hadn't been expecting that.

"Why?" he studied her curiously.

"Well," she shifted. "You guys never speak it. You guys are always speaking English. I just wanted to know what it sounds like."

"But why would you want to hear something you couldn't possibly understand?" he prodded. The medic didn't mind that she was asking about his culture, to hear his native language. Actually, he was quite pleased. None of the humans really asked about their planet Cybertron, and Jaime usually didn't ask about it because she'd seen it in her dreams. No, he didn't mind that she wanted to hear his native tongue. But he questioned her to determine why, of all times, she was asking him to speak Cybertronian now.

"Just curious," she shrugged. Ratchet turned away to place the last tool in its designated spot.

**/Humans and their bizarre curiosity…/** Ratchet muttered to himself. Jaime placed her fist on her hip.

"Hey, for your information, curiosity is what's helped humans evolve from cavemen thousands of years ago. So don't you start your human bashing mister," she glared at the medic. Ratchet froze and faced her.

**/You…You understood what I said?/** He cautiously inquired.

"Of course I understood what you said," Jaime rolled her eyes. "You weren't that quiet about it."

**/Fascinating…/** the medic muttered.

"Ratchet?" the girl scooted away. "What's the matter with you? What's so fascinating about me being able to understand you? And stop garbling your words. You sound like a garbage disposal."

**/Garbage disposal?/** the medic paused, searching online for the term. **/Oh…/** he leaned closer the Jaime till he was hovering over her. **/Since when can you understand Cybertronian?/**

"…What? I never said that," Jaime backed away again.

**/You didn't need to. I've been speaking to you in Cybertronian for the last few minutes./ **Ratchet watched her reaction with a critical optic. Jaime froze.

"…You…have?" she asked in a strangled voice. The CMO slowly nodded. "…Oh…" Her shoulders slumped a little and she looked to the ground. "I thought the side effects had all shown themselves already," she mumbled. Ratchet scratched his helm in thought. He'd thought that he had discovered all the changes the Allspark energy had caused. Apparently that was not the case. If her body was still changing, then perhaps he shouldn't tell her about his project that he had finished and planned to tell her about today. It probably wouldn't be wise to add such a component to her body when it was not quite stable.

Jaime plopped onto her behind with her legs hanging over the berth. She swung her legs back and forth, and the two remained silent for a few minutes.

"Ratchet." The medic twitched and was brought out of his thoughts.

"Yes." Jaime stared up at him with an indiscernible emotion in her eyes.

"Am…am I still human?" Ratchet's helmed snapped in her direction.

"Of course you're human."

"Am I really?" The CMO paused when he noted the desperateness in her voice. It took him a few moments for him to realize why. She was scared of the unknown. Energy from the Allspark was changing her, and it was nearly impossible to predict what these changes would be. She'd lost her arm and was therefore already different form her peers. She realized that she was different and felt self-conscious. She put on a good front. To a stranger, she would seem loud and confident, but she was really quite insecure about herself. There were very few humans she felt completely comfortable with because—no matter how much they tried to hide it—many people would tread carefully when interacting with her, as if they were afraid that the littlest thing would break her.

"You are made of flesh and blood. Your body is covered with hair follicles. Your body functions are quite inefficiently primitive. Instead of an exoskeleton, you contain an endoskeleton which is surprisingly durable. And you have that same stubbornness that all humans share—which is quite exhausting to deal with—that must be the cause for your people's ability to accomplish remarkable feats." Jaime blinked in surprise at the medic. In rare instances such as these the CMO's rough exterior would disintegrate, and he would startle Jaime with such deep and profound words. It was times like these that the girl was reminded what a great comfort Ratchet had become to her, quite similar to an adopted grandfather.

"Thanks Ratchet," she grinned widely. "You seem to always know what to say."

"Of course I do," he snorted. "I'm a medic, and reassuring my patients' fears is part of my job." He said it so casually, but Jaime knew that he meant every word of it. Because although he may not usually show it, Ratchet was one of the most caring bots the girl had ever met.

* * *

"Shhh…steady now…" Snickers were muffled as their owners concentrated on their task. "Ok, just need to go over it one more time so it'll stay on…bring the second one over here…watch the berth!" **Clang!** They immediately froze at the small noise. It wasn't too loud, but—to them—it sounded like a giant gong. They all waited in suspense, instead their target merely rolled over in recharge. Moments passed but nothing else happened. Their leader quickly completed their mission. "Okay, good. Now let's get out of here!" Light footsteps quickly shuffled out of the room.

* * *

**Will's POV**

Major Lennox sipped his cup of coffee in the cafeteria. Next to him sat his friend and brother-in-arms, Epps, and across the table were Ricky and Jaime. It was just another regular morning at NEST…until the giant roar reverberated all over base. Will instantly looked at Jaime, who was casually sipping her grape juice, to see her reaction. Her face hardly changed, but her eyes seemed to light up with silent laughter.

"What did you do?" he groaned.

"Me?" Jaime's eyes widened dramatically. "What could you possibly mean? I've been here this _whole_ morning." Epps snorted into his coffee.

"Of course," Ricky rolled his eyes. "Because we all know just how _innocent_ you are…"

"I'm so glad you agree with me," Jaime kept her tone light, grinning at Ricky before turning to Will. "At least _someone_ still believes in me, and doesn't' jump to conclusions," she sniffed. Will's mouth twitched in amusement. She was so good at bantering, sometimes he had trouble discerning if she was joking or not. The Autobot-sized door to the cafeteria barely had enough time to slide back before an irate Ironhide stomped inside. Jaime glanced to the far side of the cafeteria, where the twins were talking animatedly to Jazz.

"YOU FRAGGING GLITCH HEAD SLAGGERS!" Everyone stopped what they were doing. The fuming weapons specialist made a beeline for the twins.

"Oh, 'sup Hide?" Skids grinned.

"Wha's de matta'?" Mudflap tried to look sincere. The black mech didn't answer them. Instead—in one quick motion—he grabbed the twins and slammed them together.

"Ow!"

"Dat hurts man!"

"It's _supposed_ to hurt," Ironhide growled. Taking pity on the twins—seeing that her amused guardian wasn't going to step in and Optimus wasn't present to cool Ironhide's temper—Jaime stood from the table and strode over to the black mech.

"Hey, cool it Hide. What's got you so worked up?" The weapons specialist glared down at her.

"Don't you try that cute act on me," he pointed a digit at her. "I know you were in on it too."

"In on what?"

"You know very well what!" Jaime tilted her head at him. The mech frowned at her. He knew she was waiting for him to admit what he was so upset about. He glanced around the cafeteria, noticing for the first time that he had everyone's attention. He balled his servos into fists, before snarling and marched out of the room. Eyes widened when the mech turned and left the room. When the cafeteria doors closed, laughter filled the air.

"Oh my God!" Ricky gasped.

"Can't…Breathe!" Epps wheezed. Even Will was unable to contain his laughter. Jaime turned to the twins, who bumped their fists together like Jaime taught them, and grinned in delight.

"Great job boys, I think we can call 'Operation: Sharpie' a success." Meanwhile, Ironhide grumbled all the way back to his quarters, trying to think of a way to clean off the sharpie writing on his backside. The marker was infuriatingly resilient. The mech made sure to avoid high traffic areas so he wouldn't have humans guffawing as he passed. He didn't understand why such an inscription caused delight from the humans. Ironhide finally reached his room and stepped into his wash rack to try to wash the inscription off _again_. The black mech growled as he turned around to read the silver inscription once more.

_~I like big guns and I cannot lie!_

_You other mechs can't deny,_

_That when I clean my gun with an itty bitty lace_

_With that round thing in my face,_

_I get sprung!~_

What the frag did it even mean? And of all places, why was it written on his aft?

* * *

**Optimus' POV **

The Autobot leader couldn't help but marvel at the efficiency he was witnessing. After two years of fighting side by side, the Autobots and NEST soldiers had finally become a team that actually worked _together_. Soldiers grabbed their equipment and settled into their respective positions, while Autobots stepped over the humans to get to their destinations. The Autobots going on the mission were: Ironhide, Arcee's unit, the twins, Ratchet (merely to perform medic duties if necessary), and himself. Prowl, Jazz, Jolt, and Sideswipe were staying behind. They were almost ready for takeoff when Jaime ran up to the Prime.

"Optimus!" she gestured for him to bend down.

"Yes Jaime?" he knelt down on his knee and leaned down until his head loomed over hers.

"I just wanted to wish you luck," she grinned, only hesitating for a moment before reaching up and hugging his face. Optimus smiled and gently returned the embrace with one of his digits wrapped around her back.

"Thank you." They parted. Optimus expected the girl to leave, but she seemed to hesitate. "Is something wrong?"

"No…" she shook her head. "It's just…I have this…uh…feeling…"

"Yes?" the Prime tilted his head. He had learned from the past that Jaime would sometimes get these premonitions. She usually called it a gut feeling, but the Prime believed it was due to her connection to the Allspark.

"You need to bring along another bot. This mission is unlike any of the others, something big is coming." Optimus paused. She could just be worried for her friends. On the other hand, she seemed to have an uncanny sixth sense, especially to anything Cybertronian related.

"And whom do you suggest?" he asked, tilting his helm, expecting her to say Prowl or Jazz.

"Sideswipe," she immediately answered. She paused, as if she hadn't been planning on saying that.

"Sideswipe has only been cleared for light duty," Optimus frowned. Last week, there had been a Decepticon sighting in South Africa. Prowl, Jazz, Sideswipe, and Jolt (who went along as medical backup) had been sent to take down the Con. By the time they arrived, two more cons had arrived. Sideswipe and Prowl had been damaged the most, although Jolt hadn't been far behind. It was a wonder how few injuries Jazz had left the battle with, Sideswipe had rolled his optics stating how damn lucky the saboteur was. Jazz had answered that it wasn't luck but skill. They were all mostly recovered, but Ratchet had been adamant that they not strain themselves, lest they reopen their healed wounds.

"Then take him along for backup," Jaime countered. He studied her for a few moments. She stared back at him, and—for a moment—Optimus felt that it hadn't been Jaime that had told him to bring Sideswipe along. It was almost as if—no, the Allspark wasn't sentient…was it? But the moment quickly passed.

"Very well," he nodded slowly. He straightened, and spoke over the public Autobot comm. system.

**:: Sideswipe, load up. You shall be joining us on this mission. :: **

**:: Like pit! He hasn't been cleared for battle Prime! ::** Ratchet responded before the silver prankster could.

**:: It is merely a precaution. Sideswipe shall only be on standby. :: **

**:: Gotcha Prime! ::** Sideswipe sent back, and he quickly drove into one of their transport planes. Optimus knew the only reason Sideswipe wasn't complaining for only being sent as backup was because he was too excited about the possibility of fighting a Con.

**:: Why the sudden change? ::** Ironhide sent over a private link.

**:: It is merely a precaution Ironhide. ::** the Prime reassured his weapons specialist.

**:: So it doesn't have anything to do with Jaime? ::** he asked with a grunt. Optimus didn't reply. Within minutes, their transport planes had taken off, and the NEST force was on its way to Shanghai.

* * *

**Jaime's POV **

When Jaime had woken up that morning, she felt like something was off, like she was supposed to do something. She said goodbye to the soldiers and Autobots leaving. She'd hugged Will extra tight, making him promise to come back. There had been missions in the past when some of the soldiers didn't come back alive. She'd already lost one dad. She didn't want to lose another. She also didn't think Sarah would appreciate losing her husband. And she didn't want Annabelle to go through the pain of losing a father.

She passed by Sideswipe who was whining about not going on the mission. She patted his pede and headed towards Optimus. She was a few yards away when she stopped. This strange feeling washed over her, and for a brief moment, Jaime had a feeling like she wasn't alone. It was unlike any feeling she'd received from her bonds. It was like she was sharing her body with another presence. It was…chilling…to say the least. She then felt this sudden urge to stop Optimus before he boarded one of the planes.

"Optimus!" the girl jogged over to the massive Autobot leader and gestured for him to bend down so she could speak to him.

"Yes Jaime?" he obliged and knelt down on his knee.

"I just wanted to wish you luck," she grinned, and hugged his face. Like always, Optimus returned the hug.

"Thank you," he said, ever the gracious Prime, and they parted. Jaime was going to turn around so Optimus could join his troops, but she stopped. It was like something was holding her there. Why couldn't she move? Optimus looked down at her, and she knew he was wondering why she hadn't left yet. "Is something wrong?"

"No…" she shook her head. What could she tell him? My feet refuse to do as they're told? That would result in a confused Optimus. And then he would comm. his fellow Autobots what she was referring to. Then Prowl would claim that feet cannot have minds of their own. Ratchet would insist on scanning the girl, believing something was wrong. And Jaime would have delayed their departure and the Decepticon would have more time to cause mayhem. "It's just…" Before she could continue, Jaime felt a large and somewhat overbearing presence seize her. "I have this…" Jaime fought off the foreign presence. "uh…feeling…" What was going on? What was happening to her?

"Yes?" the Prime tilted his head. And suddenly, Jaime was no longer controlling her body. It was as if a switch had been flipped. The girl felt like a spectator as she watched the following interaction.

"You need to bring along another bot. This mission is unlike any of the others, something big is coming." The Autobot leader peered down at her. Did he suspect that there was something wrong? Jaime hoped so. She felt cut off from the others. She faintly felt the ebb and flow of emotions from the bonds, but it was so muted that she hardly felt any of it.

"And whom do you suggest?" he asked, tilting his helm.

"Sideswipe," she found herself answering. Sideswipe? Why the heck was she telling Optimus to bring along Sideswipe? She should have suggested Prowl. He was great in battle _and_ he had his superior processor which could churn out brilliant plans in seconds.

"Sideswipe has only been cleared for light duty," Optimus responded. _I know that!_ Jaime screamed in here head. But that blasted presence came back again, and Jaime got the sense that it was important that Sideswipe go on the mission. The girl spoke before her body decided to ignore her again.

"Then take him along for back-up," she suggested. The presence paused, as if it hadn't expected Jaime to join in its endeavor. She looked up to Optimus, trying to mentally convince him to agree. Whatever he saw must have been compelling.

"Very well," he nodded slowly. Jaime breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the unsettling presence leave. Sideswipe quickly transformed and drove into one of the waiting planes. The doors raised—sealing in their occupants—and took off. Jaime suddenly found herself wishing that Ratchet was staying behind so she could talk to him about what had just happened. But he wasn't. She glanced at Jolt who was leaving the hangar.

As far as she knew, Ratchet hadn't really shared any of the information he had gathered from his scans with his apprentice. And although the Autobot seemed nice enough, she didn't really know him that well. She would smile and wave whenever she passed him in the halls, and he'd nod to her in reply. But that was about it. She didn't know if he did it on purpose, but Jolt was very standoffish. She didn't know if he acted like that with the other bots or not. Jaime sighed and decided to find a quiet place to meditate. Minutes later, she found herself outside of Prowl's office. She knocked on the doorframe and peeked inside.

The Autobot SIC was at his desk review a data pad. He glanced up at her when she stepped inside.

"Do you need something Jaime?" he asked neutrally, most likely analyzing why she was there in the first place. The girl quickly responded so he didn't begin to suspect her for a prank.

"Is it okay if I stay in here for a while? It's nice and quiet in here, and I need to practice meditating."

"Of course," he answered, although Jaime could see the unspoken question in his optics. Why did she need to meditate? She needed to find out more about this strange presence, but she doubted telling Prowl about it—at least while she had no evidence—would be a wise idea. Jaime climbed the small spiral staircase that was attached to the Autobot-sized desk. Once she was on his desk, she chose a small out-of-the-way spot and sat down, Indian style. She closed her eyes and concentrated, feeling Prowl's intense gaze. After a few seconds, she knew that he had focused on his data pad once more.

She would have found a quiet place where she could be alone, but she was afraid of being trapped in her body alone, where no one would find her. Trying to think positively, she focused on the idea that if anything happened, Prowl was right next to her and could tell the others. She breathed deeply and was immediately greeted by the cluster of thread-like lights that connected her to the bots. Instead of focusing on the colorful strands of thread, she sank deeper, trying to find any trace feeling of the strange presence. She found herself being drawn to the immense pool of Allspark energy.

As she neared it, Jaime found herself hesitating. Although she knew that she shared a connection to the Allspark, she had never really explored it. She remembered hearing a voice come from it once, but that had happened so long ago that she had forgotten about it. The Allspark was supposed to be good right? She didn't have anything to fear from it.

**I am sorry child for my earlier actions.** Jaime jolted, and her eyes flew open. Prowl jerked at her sudden movement.

"What is it?" he asked. Jaime forced herself to calm down. _Yes, what was that?_ she found herself wondering.

"Nothing," she answered. "Guess I just…spooked myself." Prowl raised a disbelieving optic ridge. "It was nothing," she repeated, more forcefully this time as if she was trying to convince herself that she hadn't heard the voice. She bit her lip. Should she try it again? Or should she just ignore it as a fluke. The girl sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to forget the occurrence so easy. She closed her eyes and concentrated once more. Again, she felt herself drawing near the Allspark energy. She waited for the voice to speak again, but nothing happened. Maybe she imagined it?

**Hello?** Jaime carefully probed at the Allspark energy.

**Yes child?** Jaime gasped in surprise, but she didn't pull away like before.

**You—You talk! **

**Yes, I can talk.** Jaime felt amusement wash over her, and realized that it was coming from the presence.

**Are you…the Allspark?**

**Yes. **Jaime began to lose her patience.

**What was that before huh? I don't know what it was like back on Cybertron, but taking control of people's body…**_**very**_** rude. **

**I apologize for my actions, but it was necessary. **

**Why?** Jaime didn't understand why Sideswipe would be needed, especially since it was only one Decepticon.

**There will be more than one,** the voice answered. Jaime tensed.

**Why didn't you mention that before? Their plan of attack only takes into consideration one Con! **

**A series of events have been set in motion. To meddle in such things would only bring more chaos and death.** Jaime felt a sudden chill at the Allspark's words.

**Death? Someone's going to die? Who?** The voice did not respond. **What's going to happen!** She demanded, but she received no answer. _I have to warn them about the second Con,_ she thought.

**No. **

**You can't tell me what to do!** Jaime argued. **I'm going to tell Prowl, and he can warn them before they land.**

**If you try to change things, I'm afraid I will have to stop you. **Jaime gulped at the intensity of the statement. Although the Allspark was merely a voice right now, she needed to remember just how powerful it was. She was essentially playing with fire. It was at that moment that the girl realized that she was at the mercy of the Allspark. It could take control of her right now, and the bots wouldn't even know it.

**I would not take away your will. It pained me to do so earlier, but there was no time to explain my intentions,** said the voice, apparently reading her mind.

**Stay away from me!** Jaime pushed the Allspark with such a strong will, it was forced to leave.

* * *

**Prowl's POV **

He glanced at Jaime for the sixth time in the last twenty seconds. Although he could track her location and vitals without looking at her, seeing her with his very optics seemed to set him more at ease. He knew why she had come to his office. It was apparent she had wanted a witness while she did…whatever she did. It was slightly frustrating that she wouldn't tell him what. A grunt from Jaime caught his attention. He glanced at her for the seventh time and noticed her creased brow, a sign that she was becoming increasingly upset. Her fists clenched and her lip jutted out in concentration. Before he could ask about her wellbeing, Jaime opened her eyes. She stood up and brushed herself off.

"Well?" the SIC probed.

"I found what I was looking for," Jaime sighed. Prowl's scans showed that Jaime was stressed, which coincided with the troubled look on her face.

"And?" the mech prodded.

"I…I think I may have bit off more than I can chew…" she mumbled before walking down the staircase and out the door. Prowl cocked his helm at the strange phrase before realizing it was one of those human phrases.

"Humans," Prowl shook his helm, "such a curious race." He returned to his data pad, but not before making a mental note to keep an optic on the girl until the others returned from their mission.

* * *

_Hawkie-chan: You know how I do :) I am not leaving this story hanging. I am finishing the sucker for sure! Really? Yes! *Pumps arms* I'm so glad I got her right. And I'm so relieved I got the twins right too. I don't think I would have been able to do their accents if I wasn't used to Jazz's. Thanks you so much!_

_Guest: Aw! Another Charlie fan! He's probably not going to be present that much, at least for the time being. But fear not! He's not gone for good, just a little busy halfway around the world. Well he is her guardian, and I feel like their personalities really mesh together great._

_*Jumps up and down* Oh I just love it when my readers spot the little details! It's not going to be prevalent at the moment and it may not be a major focus in the story, but yes, your observation is correct :) There is some fishy business going on that neither Jaime nor the bots have picked up on yet…_

_Haha! I think that was everyone's favorite part. Poor Prowl, he can never catch a break…but it's just so much fun! Well you get a little taste in this chapter :D Thank you!_

**Author's Note: There you have it! Chapter 4 is up! Let me know what you thought. I'd love to hear your comments about this chapter and what you're looking forward to. We're about to enter Revenge of the Fallen so get ready for the ride! I actually planned to go into the Revenge of the Fallen movie in this chapter but, well, it when I sat down to type this chapter it kind of took a different path then I expected. Plus someone left a review about the twins and Jaime pranking Ironhide, so I added that in :) And yes, I brought in the Allspark, hope I did it justice. I kinda feel like I made it such a creeper but…meh…I've been redoing the dialogue multiple times and I think I need to just stick with one of them. So yea! Hope you liked it! Can anyone guess the inspiration for the inscription on ol' Hide? :D**

**Hubero: Whoo baby yea! *Does a double backflip* **

**Ratchet: *Enters and sees Hubero* **

**Hubero: *Dancing now* Oh yea, oh yea, oh yea yea yea! **

**Ratchet: *Optic twitch* What the frag are you dancing about? **

**Hubero: *Completely unfazed* Hey Hatchet! **

**Ratchet: *Fingers wrench* What did you say? **

**Hubero: Ha! You can't scare me! I'm in much too good a mood. *Continues victory dance* **

**Ratchet:…What's the matter with you? *Runs a quick medical scan* **

**Jazz: *Chuckles* She's jus' 'appy 'cause she's done wit' 'er speech class. **

**Hubero: *Temporarily stops dancing* Yup. We had to present as our final and I was third. It kinda sucked but I got it out of the way. And now I'm done with that class! **

**Sideswipe: *Enters* Um…did I miss something? **

**Hubero: *Waves* Hey Sides! Wanna go make Prowl glitch? **

**Sideswipe: Sure! **

**Ratchet: Oh no you don't! *Raises wrench* **

**Hubero: Quick Sides! *Dives into Sideswipe's alt-form* **

**Sideswipe: *Peels out of the room* **

**Ratchet: *Transforms and pursues them, spewing profanities along the way* **

**Jazz: So, uh, thanks fo' readin' an' be sure t' leave a review. *Looks in the distance and mumbles* Ah should probably make sure the 'atchet doesn't incapacitate the author…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Is this thing even necessary? I do not, nor shall I ever own the transformers…unless I win the lottery…I do and shall forever own Jaime and the plot of Free Falling. **

_Thank to so much you awesome reviewers: JetCycle, RiverOfTheWolf, Hawkie-Chan, heavenslilagl420, DragonRiderWarrior, Lynn Kinght, MidnightDarkskiesbluemoon, Jazz's lil ninja, AfterShock35, ForgotMyName2Day, Jazzfan0217, and Guest!_

* * *

**Jazz's POV**

"Do you have…a seven?"

"Go fish."

"…Do you have a two?"

"Go fish."

"Hmm…do you have a Jack?"

"Go fish."

"Gah! I can't take this anymore!" Jaime threw her cards down. "If I hear go fish one more time, I'm gonna…"

"Chill girl," Jazz chuckled. "Ah though' tha' was the poin' of the game."

"It is," Maggie grinned. "But I guess it does get to be a bit repetitive after a while." Jaime was in the cafeteria with Maggie and Jazz, who was in his holoform. They were gathered at a table playing a variety of card games, the current one being "Go Fish."

"How about a game of speed?" the blonde Australian suggested.

"Naw, you guys go ahead," Jaime shook her head and turned away from the table. She didn't see the worried glance Jazz and Maggie shared.

"Whatcha want t' do?" Jazz asked her. Jaime shrugged her shoulders. She'd been withdrawn for the past couple of days and it was bugging the pit out of the saboteur. "We c'n play one of 'em video games, or play a prank…" Jaime still didn't answer. Trying to get a response out of her, Jazz gasped overdramatically. That got her attention. When she gave him a weird look, he clutched his chest in horror and leaned over the table. "Don't tell me…you want to play the _silent game_!" She snorted and rolled her eyes at him. Jazz allowed himself a small grin, proud that he got her to laugh. Jazz opened his mouth to say something else but stopped. Jaime noticed.

"What is it?" she asked.

"They're back." Jaime leapt from her seat and bolted out of the cafeteria.

* * *

**Jaime's POV**

She knew she'd been a little reserved late, and she knew that Jazz wanted her to tell him what was bothering her. But she didn't want to risk losing control again, in case she wasn't supposed to tell anyone of the Allspark's intelligence. It hadn't tried speaking to her since her encounter a couple days ago, which was a huge relief. And although she didn't feel its overbearing presence, she couldn't quite forget that she wasn't alone. She raced down the halls, flying past NEST personnel. She passed by the Autobot Hangar and dashed into Hangar 3, which housed the Twins new alt forms. They had finally come in yesterday and were waiting for the twins to scan them. She finally reached the edge of the tarmac outside to see the soldiers exiting the planes. She peered into the crowed of marching soldiers and was relieved to see Will and Epps striding side by side, with Ricky toting his gun behind Epps. Behind her, the base's speakers crackled to life. **Autobot Twins: Report to Hangar 3**. Jaime patted the ice cream truck as it passed by. She ignored their babbling, about their new alt forms most likely, and took a few steps closer. Optimus rolled onto the tarmac, closely followed by Sideswipe, the Arcee triplets, Ironhide and Ratchet. Jaime waved as each one passed.

"How'd it go?" she asked when Ironhide passed. All she got was a grunt as an answer. The girl frowned. That didn't sound good.

"Present…Arms!" Jaime gasped and whirled around to see the soldiers begin to unload caskets that were each covered by the United States flag. Jaime quickly went through a mental list of the soldiers she'd seen to determine who were in the caskets.

"Who—" the words died in the girl's throat. She couldn't get them out, afraid to hear the answer.

"Benson, Jones, Grippe, Fajhi, Sal, and…Jimmy." Jaime glanced behind her to see Ironhide's holoform.

"Jimmy?" she repeated, tears pricking at her eyes. Benson made the best lemonade on base, and he'd only taught Jaime after she swore not to tell anyone his secret ingredient. Jones was a bookworm, always taking advantage of the limited library NEST had to offer. Jaime hadn't really known Grippe, Fajhi, and Sal, except she'd sometimes pass them in the hallways. And Jimmy, she'd really liked Jimmy. He was always telling jokes and would even act as lookout during some pranks.

"What happened?" Jaime cautiously asked, eyes glued to the caskets in the distance.

"There was more than one Con," Ironhide grumbled, "We were caught off guard." Jaime swallowed. So it had been true. She'd had valuable information and hadn't shared it. And now people were dead.

"Oh." The sound was soon filled with copter blades. Jaime squinted and was surprised to see an approaching helicopter. _Strange_, she mused to herself. _We don't normally get helicopters_. It was true. The main transportation used by the base were the cargo planes which would deploy to either take the NEST teams on missions, or for the once a week supply run. She watched as two figures emerged from the helicopter. She tilted her head as they approached. Who were they? The one in the lead reached a checkpoint and shoved a paper in the guard's face. _Well that was unnecessary,_ thought Jaime. The girl felt the air shift behind her. Glancing back, she saw that Ironhide had disengaged his holoform. Did he know who it was?

She saw Will move forward to meet the two visitors. She frowned when she saw the leading man slap the same document onto her adopted father's chest. What was the guys' deal? He was almost as bad as…no…it couldn't be…Jaime felt dread well up in her stomach at the possibility. Who could possibly be stupid enough to give clearance to that guy? But it _was_! Galloway had somehow received authorization to tour the base!

"Hey Jaime." The girl turned around to see Will's third, Ricky.

"Hey Ricky," she mustered a smile—although it looked more like a grimace—for the man. "I…I heard you guys had it pretty rough out there." The man's face changed.

"Yea," he sighed. "It's…it's part of the job…but it's still tough…" They stood there and watched Will give Galloway a short tour of the base, pointing things out like the Autobot Hangar.

"How'd he get here on base?" she lowered her voice so only Ricky could hear her.

"He's apparently here by special order by the Big Chief himself." Jaime looked at him. "The president," Ricky clarified.

"No way," she gaped.

"Way," Ricky nodded.

"Secure link to JCS is up Major!" came a shout from the catwalk. Ricky and Jaime found an out of the way spot by the stairs where they could still hear what was going on.

"General," Will faced the screen that displayed General Morshower.

"Will…saw the Shanghai op. We had a rough day out there."

"Yes sir. We have intel that I believe warrants an immediate debrief. Now with your permission," Will glanced off the catwalk to look at the patiently waiting Optimus in his vehicle mode, "I can't let you see him, but I would like you to hear from the leader of the Autobots."

"Proceed." Even though she'd seen it over a dozen times, Jaime couldn't help but feel a touch of awe as she watched the Peterbuilt semi split apart into numerous whirring metal pieces. They clanked and fluidly slid over each other to form Optimus Prime. Jaime glanced across the hangar, and was pleased to see Galloway's reaction. No amount of beforehand knowledge could prepare anyone when seeing the majestic giants for the first time. And although she could tell he was trying to contain it, she caught a glimpse of wonder in the man's eyes.

"You gotta wonder," she heard Epps say to the politician, "If God made us in His image, who made him?" She grinned. Leave it to Epps to try to say something so profound. And yet sometimes he tended to state the obvious. It amazed the girl how he could go from saying something so deep to make everyone think, to saying something that would make everyone roll their eyes.

"General," the Autobot leader's baritone voice broke the silence. "Our alliance has counter-matted six Decepticon incursions this year, each on a different continent. They're clearly searching around the world for something. But last night's encounter came with a warning."

"The Fallen shall rise again." Jaime's breathing hitched upon hearing the familiar words, spoken in the exact same voice from her dream.

**The Fallen shall rise again. **Those red optics glaring down at her…peering into her soul…

**The Fallen shall rise again. **The Decepticon stepping on one of the hunters…tossing aside another human so easily…

**The Fallen shall rise**—"Jaime! Snap out of it," Ricky hissed in her ear.

"What?" she dazedly blinked her eyes.

"What's wrong," he asked, looking down at her. "You just…froze."

"Oh…um…sorry," she mumbled. She glanced up at Optimus and noticed that he was examining her, apparently overhearing Ricky. They _did_ have excellent hearing after all.

"The Fallen…meaning what?" the general asked.

"Origin unknown," Optimus continued facing forward once more, but not before scrutinizing her one last time. "The only recorded history of our race was contained within the Allspark, and lost with its destruction." Jaime managed to grimace at the Prime's words. Although she shared a connection, the Autobots had soon learned that Jaime was unable to consciously access things such as Cyberton's history. She got snippets from her dreams, but that was it. Although, that may not be a problem now since the Allspark was apparently self-aware.

"Excuse me!" Jaime resisted the urge to groan at the sound of Galloway's interruption. "With this so-called Allspark now destroyed," the arrogant man climbed up the latter, "why hasn't the enemy left the planet like you thought they would?"

"Director Galloway, our National Security Advisor," Jaime heard Will say. "The president just appointed him liaison." Since she'd known him so long, she could hear the hidden annoyance in his voice.

Galloway made it to the top of the catwalk and made his way to Will, brushing past several NEST operatives. "Forgive the interruption General, excuse me, coming through, excuse me, excuse me soldier." The man finally stood next to Will and frowned at Morshower. "After all the damage in shanghai, the president is um…hard pressed to say the job's getting done. Now," he turned his sights on the Autobot leader, "under the classified Alien Autobot Cooperation Act, you agreed to share your intel with us, but not your advancements in weaponry."

"Is he serious?" Jaime hissed to Ricky.

"That man…" Ricky shook his head in reply.

"We've witnessed your human capacity for war," Optimus answered, unfazed by Galloway's attempt to assume a semi-threatening stance, pointing a digit at Galloway who leaned away from the near proximity. "It would absolutely bring more harm than good." Will uncrossed arms, struggling not to glare at Galloway. However the impatient man was not to be deterred so easily. "But who are you to judge what's best for us?"

"With all due respect," Will spoke up, coming to the aid of his longtime friend and ally, "We've been fighting side by side in the field for two years."

"We've shed blood, sweat and precious metal together," Epps added from down below. The Autobot liaison bent over the railing to look at him.

"Soldier, you're paid to shoot, not talk." His body language and voice screamed snob. Epps frowned and decided he was no longer needed. Jaime didn't blame him. Galloway was being an absolute jerk. As Epps left the hangar, he passed by Jaime and Ricky's position, and they could both hear him muttering.

"Don't tempt me." Optimus looked down, overhearing the man and pointed at his passing figure.

"Easy…"

"I'm not sticking around if he's gonna be in here. I'm gonna get me one of them ice cream sandwiches," said Epps, momentarily pausing next to Jaime and Ricky.

"They restocked them?" Ricky's eyes widened. Jaime nodded. "What are we waiting for? Let's get some before they're out again!"

"I'll catch up with you guys later," Jaime murmured.

"Suit yourself," Ricky shrugged before he and Epps left the hangar. Jaime tuned back into the conversation, disappointed to see that Galloway was still speaking.

"…newest members of your team. I understand they arrived here after you sent out a message into space, an open invitation," he spread out his arms in a mocking manner, "to come to earth, vetted by no one at the white house." Thankfully, General Morshower stepped in this time, coming to the defense of the Prime.

"Let me stop you right there Mr. Galloway," he leaned forward in his chair. "It was vetted right here, and in my experience, the judgment of both Major Lennox and his team has always been above reproach." Jaime smiled. From what she'd heard and seen, she knew that he could be strict and a bit difficult at times. But the general was fair.

"Well be that as it may General," Galloway responded, not one to allow another to have the last word, "it is the position of the president that when our national security is at stake…no one…is above reproach." Jaime swallowed at his tone. She briefly wondered how he'd react if he learned of her true connection to the Autobots.

The only humans on base who knew Jaime's true reason for being on the island were: Will, Epps, Ricky, and Maggie. "Now what do we know, so far," Galloway turned on his heel and began pacing. "We know that the enemy leader, classified NBE One AKA Megatron, is resting in peace at the bottom of the Laurentian Abyss, surrounded by SOSUS detection nets **and** a full-time submarine surveillance." The girl tilted her head and glanced around the hangar, gauging other people's reactions. Should he be speaking aloud such sensitive information? She was no expert, but if they were going to review such classified information it shouldn't be in this hangar. Not when it was so easy for someone to enter and eavesdrop, like her for example.

"We know that the only remaining piece of your alien Allspark—"Jaime shifted uneasily at the mention of the Allspark. She could feel Optimus' attention shift to her, and he asked over the bond if she was alright. She sent him back an affirmative. The Prime didn't look at her though, most likely to avoid directing Galloway's attention on her, which she was grateful for. "—is locked in an electromagnetic vault here on one of the most secure naval bases in the world. And since no one," Galloway let out a little scoff, "can seem to tell me now what the enemy is after, there's only one clear conclusion."

Jaime got an uncomfortable feeling upon seeing the man's expression when he faced Optimus once more. "**You**…the Autobots…They're here to **hunt** you." He pointed an accusing finger at the silent Prime. "What's there to hunt for on earth besides that? The Fallen shall rise again?" Galloway turned away from the Autobot leader as Jaime shivered at the reminder of the creepy voice. With the man's focus no longer on himself, Optimus glanced down at Jaime, no doubt sensing her distress. "Sounds to me like something's coming." Galloway mused. He turned towards Optimus again, who redirected his attention to the man.

"So let me ask, if we ultimately conclude that our national security is best served by denying you further asylum on **our** planet," Jaime gasped, "will you leave peacefully?" _No!_ She screamed in head. _They can't do that!_ The Autobots had already stayed for two years. Jaime had grown even closer to them in the short time she'd known them. Besides, they wouldn't stand a chance against the Decepticons without their allies. She stared at Optimus—glared at him even—willing him to put this insolent man in his place. She waited for him to list the reasons why that was such a terrible idea. The Prime tilted his helm in thought.

"Freedom is your right. If you make that request, we will honor it." Jaime's stomach dropped. _No…they couldn't leave her. Not now_! Jaime's hands trembled at the thought of being left alone with the Allspark in her body. Before she could go into a full-blown panic, she felt a large wave of calm wash over her. She looked up to see Optimus glancing down at her, with some kind of indiscernible emotion in his optics, as if he was trying to convey an unspoken promise to her. She soon felt reassuring emotions flood her from the other bonds. Jazz had promised her that he'd never leave her. He'd said that he was her guardian, which was a big deal to them. That was why Bumblebee had refused to leave his charge, Sam Witwicky, when NEST relocated. Galloway allowed himself a self-satisfied nod upon hearing the Prime's words. But Optimus was not done.

"But," the Prime's deep voice rang out, "before your president decides…please ask him this." He had everyone's attention now. What would he be asking of the president? "What if we leave," he leaned forward, carefully grasping the catwalk railing, "and you're wrong?" The question hung in the air. Optimus leaned back, effectively getting his point across. Galloway turned away with a frown, apparently done with the conversation. Jaime knew the answer to the Prime's question. She knew how hilariously outclassed they were by the Decepticons.

* * *

"Let me get this straight. This…Barney…is a purple dinosaur that can sing and talk… " Arcee began.

"Yup," Jaime nodded.

"…and it's a children's show?"

"Uh huh."

"…I thought dinosaurs were extinct."

"They are," Jaime chuckled at the femme's confused expression. "It's just some guy who gets paid to wear a purple suit and dance around and sing with kids."

"That sounds a bit creepy and…suspicious." Arcee tilted her helm.

"I know right?" Jaime grinned.

"Creators allow their offspring to view such a program?"

"Well, yea…although it's not as popular anymore. The guy who played him actually got fired awhile back," Jaime shrugged.

"Why?" The girl wasn't given a chance to answer.

"A word, Jaime?" She turned to see Optimus in his vehicle form.

"Sure…" The Autobot leader silently popped his door open and Jaime climbed into the semi cab. She sat quietly in his driver's seat as Optimus drove to the South section of the base where they could talk privately. Optimus eventually reached his destination and stopped. The sun was setting, bathing the sky a deep orange color.

"Jaime," the Prime finally spoke.

"Yea?" The Autobot leader paused, as if choosing his words carefully.

"Before we left, you implored that I take Sideswipe along. Why?" Jaime frowned at his question. She should have expected it. From the moment she had seen Optimus earlier that day, she knew he'd want to speak to her. It had only been a matter of time.

"I guess you could say that this…feeling…told me he needed to go," she gazed out the window.

"Did you have any…premonition concerning the events that were to take place?" the mech prompted.

"I didn't know what was going to happen," she sighed. "If I did I would have warned you guys before you left."

"You did not feel any…intuition after we left?" he tried again. Jaime swallowed, thinking of the Allspark's words.

"No…" she dragged out the denial, feeling bad for lying to Optimus. She resisted the sudden urge to tap her fingers nervously when he did not reply. Instead he sat in silence, as if he could sense she had just lied to him.

"Then why did you need to meditate, namely, in Prowl's office?" Jaime's jaw clenched. _Oh,_ she thought. Of course Prowl had told his commander of her strange behavior. Knowing the SIC, he had showed his leader a recording of the girl. She chewed on her lip, trying to decide whether to come clean or not. She could tell him about the Allspark right? He was a Prime after all.

**Now is not the time, youngling.** Jaime flinched.

"Jaime?" Optimus' softened his voice. "Is everything well?" Jaime clutched her knees and drew them to her chest. No, everything was not well. She had an ancient presence residing in her body that could take control of her body, the monster from her dreams was a real threat, and the Allspark's energy was _still_ changing her.

"No," she choked out. Through their bond, she felt like she was being pulled closer to Optimus' spark. She savored the warm embrace and she felt herself calm down.

"I am always here for you Jaime," he promised. "We would never abandon you."

"I know," she rubbed her eyes.

"Then what is troubling you?" he asked. Jaime pursed her lips.

"It's nothing."

"Jaime—"

"Just drop it Optimus," she grunted. When it sounded like he was going to persist, Jaime let out a groan. "Please?" she added. The Autobot leader's sigh reverberated in the semi cab.

"Very well…" They remained still, enjoying each other's presence until Jaime spoke.

"Did you really mean that?"

"What are you referring to?" the mech asked in reply.

"…Would you guys really leave if the government asked you to?" she reached out and grasped his steering wheel.

"Freedom is your right," the Prime sighed. "This is your planet."

"But you can't leave!" she implored, her grip on the wheel tightened. "You just can't! Not now!"

"Jaime, we will not abandon you. _I _will not abandon you—" he tried to soothe the distraught girl.

"—But what if they do ask you to leave!" Silence hung in the air.

"Jaime, there may come a time when we may not see each other for long periods of time, but understand this. We will never abandon this planet. And we shall **never** abandon you. You have my word." A small grin made its way on the girl's face.

"Really?" she asked.

"Really really." Jaime snorted at the movie quote.

"So what happens now?"

"I'm afraid I must go speak to Sam." Jaime tilted her head.

"You know he's in college now right? His classes start tomorrow."

"Yes, but your government believes we have brought vengeance upon your planet. Perhaps they are right. But that is why they must be reminded by another human of the trust we share."

"When are you leaving?"

"Soon," he replied. Optimus started his engine and began to make his way back towards base. They were halfway back when Optimus asked the girl, "Jaime…are you familiar with the term 'the Fallen?'" Jaime tensed.

"What makes you ask that?"

"Because every time the term is mentioned, your stress levels spike." The girl procrastinated answering by rubbing the back of her neck.

"Mmmm…" The Autobot leader did not prod her this time. He waited for her to answer on her own time. "I've…had a few dreams about him…"

"Who is he?"

"He's a Decepticon. He was on earth a long time ago—building something—but I don't know what. He's bad news though," she shook her head. Optimus let out a thoughtful hmm. "He's **dangerous** Optimus," she felt the need to stress just how formidable this mysterious enemy was. Optimus' cab rumbled in…laughter.

"What's so funny?" Jaime demanded. The Fallen was no laughing matter.

"Jazz tells me that I must return you now. He—along with Sideswipe and the Twins—are waiting for you to begin their casino night."

"Oh yea, I forgot we planned to have that the night you guys got back," Jaime grinned, temporarily forgetting about the Fallen. "Wanna join us?"

"I told you, I must leave soon." The base loomed ahead.

"Alright…I'll tell the others you were too chicken to join." Optimus didn't reply. "If anything, it'll really go the Jazz's head. Guess I'll have to teach him a lesson on by my measly little self…"

"One round, then I shall go." Jaime grinned, marveling at the Prime's ability to still sound majestic even while he was grumbling.

"All right! This is gonna be awesome!" Jaime pumped her fist in the air. Optimus chuckled at her. "Get ready to lose, because I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're ancient."

"Ancient?" Optimus sputtered.

"Well yea. You're older than the earth right?"

"…Yes…"

"Then you're ancient," she patted the dashboard with a smirk. Optimus merely sighed, more for Jaime's sake, to keep up the charade. He didn't mind really, especially since he had successfully distracted the girl from this dangerous "Fallen" figure.

* * *

Jaime lay in bed that night, wondering what woke her up. It had to be close to midnight. She scowled to herself. And she hadn't been having any dreams too! She grumbled to herself as she slipped out of her bed. If she had been awakened by Ironhide's cannons **again**, she was going to give him a piece of her mind, not caring about the fact that he towered over her. Too lazy to go down the spiral staircase that connected to her loft, Jaime decided to take the faster way down. She clung to the pole next the stairs and slid to the floor. Seconds later, she was in front of her door. At that moment, the Autobot-sized door whooshed open.

"Jazz?" Jaime rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She wasn't quite awake yet.

"Jaime!" Jazz quickly stepped inside the room and the door slid shut.

"Something going on?" she yawned. Jazz offered her his servo and she pulled herself up. He held her next to his spark.

"Shh, jus' go back t' sleep," he murmured, cradling her to his chastise.

"I thought I heard something," she muttered, leaning against her guardian.

"It's being taken care of," he answered, carrying her back to her bed.

"So long as it wasn't Ironhide again," she murmured, half asleep.

"No, it wasn't him," Jazz stroked her back, before gently setting her on her bed. Jaime cuddled to her pillow.

"Who was it then?" she asked. Jazz found himself wondering if she was even aware of what she was saying by now.

"Ah'll tell ya in the mornin'," he pulled up her covers to her chin so she'd be comfortable.

"You better," was the last thing she said before she was sound asleep. Her guardian watched her sleep for a few moments. Her face was so smooth and peaceful, not bunched up and stressed like it had been the last few days.

**:: The fraggers got away! ::** Ironhide commed him. Jazz sighed. Just moments ago, two Decepticons had snuck on base and successfully stolen the Allspark shard. It was good and bad news. Good, because it meant they weren't aware of Jaime's connection to the Allspark. Bad, because it meant they wanted the Allspark's energy for some dark deed. And if they did learn about Jaime…Jazz's engine revved. Nothing was going to happen to his charge. Nothing.

"Goodnigh' swee'spark," he whispered before quietly leaving the room.

* * *

_Forgotmynametoday: It's okay. I'm not one of those people who gets offended by every little thing. I do hope you're having a better week. Happy reading! I'd still like to hear what you think of each chapter :)_

_Guest: Haha! Thanks! I wanted to try writing it from Prowl's point of view :)_

**Author's Note: Well there you go! Sorry, didn't mean to take this long on this chapter but well, a certain somebody wasn't cooperating. I won't name any names here *glances at Optimus* because that just wouldn't be very nice…and I don't want it to look like I'm blaming *glances at the Prime once more* them for the long wait. **

**Optimus: *Notices Hubero's not so inconspicuous looks* Do you need something? **

**Hubero: Me? Nope, I'm good. It's not like I really need your help anyways *mutters* not like you offered it this past week…**

**Optimus: *Tilts his helm* What was that? **

**Hubero: Oh nothing, nothing at all *turns to walk away* **

**Optimus: …are you being sarcastic with me? **

**Hubero: Gee, what gave me away?**

**Optimus: *Frowns* Are you angry at me? **

**Hubero: I…no…I just really struggled with your little interrogation while keeping you in character. I didn't want to post the chapter before I felt like I got it down. **

**Optimus: Er…thank you. **

**Hubero: …Don't you get tired of that? **

**Optimus: Of what? **

**Hubero: You're constantly nice and polite to everyone! **

**Optimus: *Tilts his helm* Not everyone. **

**Hubero: I wasn't referring to the Decepticons. **

**Optimus: Who were you referring to? **

**Hubero: Galloway. **

**Optimus: Oh. **

**Ironhide: *Barges in cannons blazing* Argh! Where's that little punk! **

**Hubero: *Screeches and sprints out of the room* AAAIIIEEEEEE! **

**Optimus: *Gives Ironhide a reprimanding look* **

**Ironhide: What? **


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I, Hubero, solemly swear that I do not own the Transformers. I did not have the genius to come up with giant alien transforming robots from a distance planet called Cybertron. I __**was**__ original enough to come up with Jaime and the plot of Free Falling! _

Thank you to all you lovely reviewers: heavenslilagl420, Kurohande Ookami, JetCycle, Shewolf-skittles-twist14, KayleeChiara, RiverOfTheWolf, Storylovers91, Jazz's lil ninja, movielover123456, Hawkie-Chan, ForgotMyName2Day, Abyss Prime, and Guest!

**I'd also like to thank everyone who has added Free Falling to their favorites/alert list or has favorited and/or is following me :D**

* * *

"He what?!"

"He declined," Optimus repeated. "He…he says that he is where he meant to be…"

"He thinks he has problems, huh? Oh, I'll give him problems," Jaime muttered angrily. How dare he?! How **dare** he say no to Optimus! Did he not realize how much pressure was placed on the Autobot leader? Did he not realize how many looked to the Prime for solutions when he had none? Did he not realize that Optimus would not ask for Sam's help unless he thought it was truly necessary! "Selfish jerk," Jaime huffed.

"Easy," Optimus gently chided. "We do not know what he is going through. College is a common stage in life for human offspring. It is only normal that he wishes to partake in the tradition."

"His life must be so hard," Jaime bit out sarcastically, thinking of what had all happened to her recently. "Well he's not getting any sympathy from me." The Prime gazed down at her, but didn't say anything. After a few moments, the girl looked up at the bot. His blue optics seemed so weary. Never had she seen the Prime look so downtrodden. Jaime opened her mouth to apologize for her behavior when a shiver ran down her spine. Optimus tilted his helm curiously.

"What is it?"

"…I…don't know…" Jaime tilted her head. "But…I have this awful feeling that things just got worse."

"Optimus!" The two turned to see the black weapons expert striding their way.

"What is it Ironhide?"

"Human satellites caught this image," Ironhide frowned. Jaime watched the two bots, and when Ironhide did not raise his servo to hand the image to Optimus, she assumed that he must have somehow sent it to the Prime.

"That's impossible," the Autobot leader breathed.

"It's unlikely," Ironhide growled, "but there are no jets on earth like his. You can tell it's Cybertronian by the structure."

"What's going on?" a lost Jaime asked. Optimus shared a look with Ironhide before kneeling down in front of the girl.

"You mentioned earlier that you received a premonition that events would take a turn for the worse?"

"Yea," Jaime shrugged. "But, that doesn't necessarily **mean** anything." The sound of screeching tires filled the air. Jaime whirled around to see Ratchet, Sideswipe, Jolt, the twins, and Prowl speeding in her direction.

"Optimus," she turned back towards the Prime. "What's going on?"

"I do not know how," the Autobot leader vented, "but it seems that…Megatron has returned." Jaime stared at the mech. A cold feeling engulfed her. Megatron was back? But how?

"His first target will be the boy," Optimus straightened to address his soldiers, who were all stood at attention. "We must go and protect him."

"And Jaime?" Prowl asked.

"Jazz and the Arcee triplets shall stay on base to act as protection should Jaime need it," Optimus responded. "Autobots roll—"

"Wait!" Jaime cried. Motion ceased.

"Yes Jaime?" Optimus bent down in front of the anxious girl. Jaime reached out her hand and touched his metal cheek.

"…Be careful."

"Of course," Optimus began to pull away, but Jaime latched onto him.

"No Optimus. **Be**. **Careful**." The rest of the Autobots watched the unfolding scene with growing curiosity.

"I shall be careful Jaime," the Prime stressed. "Autobots, roll out!" The rest of the bots quickly sped to the nearest cargo plane to go save Sam.

"Optimus!" Jaime called out.

"Time is of the essence. I **must** go Jaime," he sighed, but kneeled down regardless. Jaime touched his cheek once more, and took in his wonderful metal face. She stared deep into his blue optics, and—no matter hard she tried—she could not shake off a deep sense of foreboding.

"Promise me you'll come back," she suddenly ordered.

"Pardon?"

"Promise me…you **will** return," she emphasized. The Prime studied her expression. She was dead serious.

"I will always return Jaime," he promised before rising and joining his soldiers. The girl hugged herself, willing the bad feeling away. Something **big** was about to happen. She hoped desperately that—once, just once—she was wrong.

* * *

**Sideswipe's POV**

They finally touched down in New Jersey and exited the cargo plane. They were soon on the road speeding to their destination. Bumblebee—who had been in the vicinity—joined them. Prowl suddenly announced something that made them all pause.

**:: Eight Decepticons spotted in alt mode in New York, Prime :: **

**:: Any spotted in Philadelphia? ::** Optimus asked.

**:: Negative ::** The Autobots all waited for their leader's decision.

**:: Split into two teams. Ratchet, Ironhide, Jolt, Sideswipe, and Twins, go and take care of the Decepticons before they administer irreparable damage. Bumblebee and I shall continue to Philadelphia. Once you have dispatched the Decepticons in New York, regroup with Bumblebee and I. We may need you as backup. Ironhide, send an SOS signal to NEST :: **

Sideswipe gunned his engine and followed his Prime's orders. As they headed in opposite directions, he glanced back to see Bumblebee and his leader disappear in the distance. He couldn't help but feel his spark give a little lurch, like they were making a mistake.

* * *

**Jaime's POV**

Jaime's eyes snapped back and forth, taking in the pandemonium. Will and Epps ran her way, both hurriedly throwing their army jackets on.

"Will! What's going on?" she asked. But she was cut off.

"Major, incoming SOS from Autobots!" shouted a NEST soldier from the catwalk.

"Multiple Decepticon contacts in motion. Vicinity, Eastern United States, sir!" another added. Jaime's eyes widened. Will hunched over a nearby monitor to see that what he was being told was indeed true.

"The Autobots are on the move, splitting into two teams, sir. They're not answering our calls and they're heading to New York and Philadelphia," another soldier informed Will. The man straightened, going into commander mode.

"All right, full weapons deployment. Wheels up in 20 minutes! Move it! Let's go!" he shouted, sprinting towards the waiting cargo plane. Jaime made a snap decision. She followed. The girl ran towards the two waiting planes.

"Jaime!" The girl turned to see Jazz.

"Jazz! I don't know what's going on! But—"

"—Ah know," he cut her off. He popped his passenger seat open and she dived in. He slid the seatbelt around her and accelerated into one of the planes.

"What about Arcee?" Jaime whispered.

"The Arcee triplets are in the other plane," Jazz replied. Within moments, Jaime could feel the plane take off. After ten minutes, she decided it was safe to reveal her presence. They couldn't afford to turn back now. Jaime stepped out of Jazz's alt mode, greeted by a dozen pairs of eyes.

"Jaime?" a disbelieving Will gasped. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be on base!"

"Jazz is my guardian," Jaime argued. "He isn't going to leave me unprotected on base."

"Ya wouldn't be unprotected," said Epps. "There's dozens of soldiers on base."

"That didn't stop those two Cons from stealing the Allspark fragment," Jaime muttered, but it was still loud enough for everyone to hear her. No one further argued the point. An hour dragged by. Jaime was seated in between Will and Epps. She entertained herself by using a pen and scrap of paper, which were provided by Epps—that man had just about everything in his ten million pockets —and playing Hangman with Ricky, seated across from her. All of a sudden, Jaime felt a sharp pain in her chest. She gasped, dropping the pen and paper—taking Ricky by surprise—and clutched her chest. She hunched over, gritting her teeth at the excruciating pain.

"Jaime?" Will's alarmed voice momentarily distracted her from the pain. But it came back, harsher this time. It was as if someone had driven a spear through her heart, and they were now cruelly twisting it, prolonging the pain. Her mouth opened in a soundless scream. Her eyes glazed over as the pain writhed in her heart. Epps and Will's voices became distant, like they were underwater. And the spreading fire began to consume her, spurred by its insatiable hunger.

Pain…so much pain…her heart was being ripped apart into a million pieces…Feelings flashed in her mind. Sorrow, Regret, Hurt, Despair, Worry, and then…nothing…the source of the fleeting feelings became a cold void and the burning pain disappeared just as fast as it appeared. Jaime's eyes snapped open. Will and Epps were whispering hurriedly to each other, but an observant Ricky elbowed them and they all faced her.

"Jaime?" Will asked tentatively. "Are…are you okay?" Jaime stared ahead into space. She knew whose emotions she had been feeling. She just **knew**. Every bot had a recognizable touch. But she was too scared to try his bond. She was too scared of what she would—or wouldn't—find. Gathering her courage, Jaime tentatively searched for the royal blue thread that connected her to Optimus Prime. She found the thread where it had always been, but it was not lit. Instead, it was a dull color, completely lifeless. Jaime hesitantly grasped the thread and was immediately repulsed by the freezing cold touch. Dead, he was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.

"Jaime!" Epps shook her a little and her eyes cleared. A whimper escaped her lips.

"What is it?" Will whispered. Her eyes focused on his. They were only inches away from each other.

"…e's dea…" she choked.

"What?" asked Epps. Her answer was too soft for them to hear. But Jazz heard it. His alt mode jolted, surprising some nearby soldiers.

"He's dead," Jaime repeated, louder this time. Ricky, Epps, and Will all stared at her in disbelief. "He's dead, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead, he's dead," she whispered brokenly to herself. Will gripped both her shoulders.

"…Who, Jaime?" Jaime looked him in the eye. Her lips parted to give him the answer. But she never responded to his question. She couldn't. Instead, she broke. Tears streamed down her face and the girl clung to her adopted father, seeking comfort that only he could give.

"Shhh," he held her and rubbed her back. He comforted the girl even though he was still clueless as to who was dead…until his earpiece crackled to life.

"Major Lennox!"

"This is Lennox," he answered.

"Sir, we've just been informed that the Autobot Leader has been killed." Will's closed his eyes to keep back the building tears. No, not Optimus! But the crying and shaking Jaime in his arms was proof, even though he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe that they had just lost their greatest ally…and friend.

* * *

**Epp's POV**

"Well?" the sergeant asked when he saw Will enter the cafeteria.

"Nothing," he grumbled, shoving the untouched plate loaded with food—meant for Jaime—on the metal table, before slumping into a seat across from his lifelong friend. Epp's sighed. It crushed him to see his bestie this down. He still couldn't quite believe that the big guy was gone, and it really hurt, but he knew that Jaime was hurting much more. He didn't quite understand how it worked, but he knew that she shared a special bond with them. If there was one person who knew the Autobot leader the best, it was her. He'd seen them together multiple times, either having a serious discussion that only two close friends can have, or having a battle of wits. Optimus had always been interested in learning about human culture, and Jaime had always been constantly looking for ways to sate the mech's curiosity. And now he was gone…forever.

"Hey man," he said aloud to Will. The weary looking man raised his eyes from the table. "She just…needs some time. She's just coping in her own way."

"Yea…" Will tiredly rubbed his eyes. It was past midnight, but many on base—those that had come from Diego Garcia and knew Optimus—were unable to sleep due to recent events.

"…She said anything yet?" Epps asked hopefully. Will shook his head.

"Jazz hasn't left her side, and the other Autobots are all nearby…I don't know what to do Epps," he looked imploringly at the African American. "The last time she lost someone dear to her was that old man, Jeong Jeong. She was a wreck! And now…she's not reacting at all. And…that look in her eyes…it's like they're devoid of life!"

"Hey," Epps got up and sat down next to his friend, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay. She'll get through it. Besides…she may not be related by blood, but she's a lot like you. She's got your pigheadedness after all." Will glared at the sergeant, but he was unable to suppress the small grin.

* * *

**Jazz's POV **

It was completely unexpected. He just couldn't believe it. Prime had always seemed to be invincible. Sure he'd get scratched and injured in battle, but nothing Ratchet couldn't take care of. But Ratchet had been too late to save their leader. And…he probably wouldn't have been able to do much anyways. The silver saboteur vented a sigh and glanced at his charge once more. She hadn't moved from her position. She hadn't really moved at all since he brought her to the room in his vehicle mode. In fact, she was still sitting in his passenger seat. With Optimus gone, Prowl would assume leadership and Jazz would become his second, at least, until a new Prime was chosen. But that could take vorns. Jazz switched the radio station again. Talking hadn't brought Jaime out of her daze. Perhaps music would.

* * *

**Will's POV **

"It's happening," he muttered to himself.

"Sick bastar—" Epps was cut off.

"Hey! Did you guys see the news?" Ricky popped his head into the small office room. Will gestured toward the TV.

"It hasn't even been a day," Epps muttered.

"Of course the Decepticons are going to launch multiple attacks," Will grumbled. "We're at our worst right now and they're going to take advantage of it."

"What happens now?" Ricky asked his commander. Will faced Ricky.

"Citizens of the human hive…"

"Don't know," Will shrugged.

"…your leaders have withheld the truth…"

"Whoa!" Epps shouted and pointed at the TV. "Since when did the Decepticons decide to make a TV special appearance?!" Will and Ricky turned to see what had the sergeant all worked up.

"You are not alone in this universe," a Cybertronian spoke.

"Who…" Ricky trailed. Will and his second numbly shook their heads. Although none of them knew who the mech on screen was, they knew he was bad news thanks to his blood red eyes. Not to mention that the mech practically radiated maliciousness.

"We have lived among you, hidden, but no more. As you've seen, we can destroy your cities at will, unless you turn over this boy." Pictures of Sam Witwicky—along with his name—flashed across the screen. "If you resist us, we will destroy the world as you know it." The Decepticon's face disappeared and the TV went back to the previous station. Minutes later, every news station was scrambling to get the latest headlines out. Epps flipped through the channels and paused on CNN

"What we're hearing from the German government is that the world broadcast was a satellite hacking. The military has just told us they have assumed Condition Delta, which is the highest level we have been at since 9/11. President Obama is being flown to a bunker somewhere in the middle of the United States in the face of the worst simultaneous attacks ever around the globe. The aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt goes down off the East Coast, all hands lost. Worldwide casualties are in the neighborhood of 7,000, but that number could climb. It's still too early to tell. What we need to ask now is, 'Who and why?' The FBI is still trying to locate the boy, Sam Witwicky. We believe they have information about the attacks. The FBI, CIA and Interpol are all seeking the cooperation of worldwide law enforcement…"

Will turned and left the room, unable to hear the depressing news any longer. The Decepticons were having a free for all, and the boy Sam was being presented as a wanted fugitive. He hoped the boy was somewhere safe. He'd known the boy for two years now. The boy could be a bit of a spaz sometimes, but he was a good kid. He'd saved the world for heaven sake! And now the world he had saved was hunting him down because the Decepticons wanted him.

* * *

**Jaime's POV **

_Jaime curled her body in a ball, trying to make herself as small and protected as possible. She could feel the freezing cold leaking from the empty bond. It was like a black hole that was constantly trying to suck her in. The girl kept resisting, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. Jaime rolled over in her sleep. She couldn't resist it, she was being sucked closer. The girl inhaled sharply, twitching every few seconds. She was…she was drowning! She was sinking into the cold void. Help…she needed help! But she was too far down. She couldn't feel the others. Their bonds were muted. Perhaps it was the black hole? Jaime struggled with all her might. __**Help!**__ She screeched in her mind. __**Somebody help!**_

_**I got you. **_

_She was immediately dragged away from the black hole of despair and surrounded by a familiar warm embrace. The presence held her tightly as she calmed herself down. _

_**Thank you,**__ she sighed, snuggling closer to the warm presence. _

_**Something's happened.**__ It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Jaime didn't say anything, but made a sound of agreement. She took a calming breath, taking in the inner strength the presence was radiating. The presence seemed to expand protectively. __**I have waited long enough. When they return, I am making my move. They won't know what hit them,**__ it snarled. _

"Jaime."_ The girl stirred, but wasn't quite ready to wake up yet. _

_**You're coming to earth then?**__ She asked, hope swelling in her heart. _

_**Soon,**__ said the presence. For a moment, they both paused, neither wanting to leave the other before they eventually parted ways. _

"Swee'spark?" The girl opened her eyes. She took in her surroundings and realized she was still in Jazz's interior. She must have fallen asleep because the passenger seat was nearly horizontal. Jazz righted the seat as soon as she was sitting up straight.

"Huh?" she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"They're bringin' 'im back," Jazz murmured before popping the door open. Jaime climbed out of the Pontiac before realizing what the saboteur was talking about. She could see a cargo helicopter in the sky approach, with its attached load dangling underneath. To her left, Jaime saw NEST soldiers approach, while Autobots approached from her right. The cables unhooked and Optimus crashed to the ground. Jaime winced when the Autobot leader bounced lifelessly on the ground. She stared forlornly at the fallen Prime, her dear friend. She still couldn't believe he was gone.

Cybertronians were very durable. Ratchet had explained to her once that a Cybertronian's most important part of anatomy was the spark, closely followed by their processor. They also needed energon to support their systems. If the processor and spark were completely intact—and they had enough energon—then the bot was almost guaranteed a full recovery. That was why they could live so long, because almost all their parts were interchangeable.

Will stopped behind her, and gently placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. Suddenly, the group of mourning soldiers and Autobots were surrounded by a convoy of military jeeps, which were specifically targeting the Autobots. Sideswipe and Ironhide were the first to react. The silver prankster slid his battle blades out.

"What is the meaning of this?" the mech demanded, spinning in a tight circle, struggling to face all the military jeeps at once.

"You dare point a gun at me?" Ironhide bellowed—snorting like an angry bull ready to charge—as his giant cannons whirled to life. "You want a piece of me? I will tear you apart!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Some of the NEST soldiers raised their hands in a placating manner, coming to the aid of their allies.

"Drop your weapons!" Will ordered. He strode to the nearest jeep. "Drop your weapons!" he snarled, banging on the vehicle. "Tell them to lower their weapons!" the major shouted at the man who appeared to be leading the sudden attack. Jaime shifted nervously at the growing hostility, which only seemed to further antagonize the Autobots.

"Tell them first."

"Tell them to lower their weapons," Will got in the man's face.

"Major, there's nothing I can do," the man responded in a truly sympathetic tone. "Talk to him," he nodded behind Will. One of the military jeeps' door opened, and out stepped the bane of the Autobots existence, Galloway. Jaime glared at the man. Of course he was behind this. But why? He was their liaison now! He was supposed to keep the peace, not instigate it.

"Your NEST team is deactivated, Major. You are to cease anti-Decepticon operations and return to Diego Garcia pending further orders." _What?!_ Jaime screamed in her head.

"No," Will immediately countered, "we take our orders directly from Chairman Morshower, sir."

"Well, I'll see your Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I will raise you," the annoying man reached inside his jacket and pulled out a document, "a President of the United States. I have operational command now." He shook the folded piece of paper to add emphasis. "An alien blood feud has been brought to our shores for which our soldiers are paying the price. The secret is out!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the idling Autobots. "This is **our** war now and we will win it as we always have…with a coordinated military strategy."

"This fool is terribly misinformed," Ratchet grumbled.

"You're gonna need every asset that you've got," Will switched his approach, trying to dissuade the man using logic.

"What we **need** is to draw up battle plans," the man tersely replied, not even considering what the major was saying, "while we explore every possible diplomatic solution." Jaime could tell her adopted father was getting fed up.

"Like what," Will bit out sarcastically, "handing over the kid?" Galloway paused. Jaime spotted the man's half-hidden guilty expression.

"All options are being considered," Galloway replied, turning away. _Bull, _Jaime thought, _that's exactly what they're planning to do!_

"Whatever the Decepticons are after," Ricky spoke up, successfully making Galloway stop in his tracks, "this is just the start." Jaime gulped. What **were** they after? An image of the strange Decepticon structure from her dream popped into her head. That's right! The Fallen had been there overseeing the construction. He must be looking for it. But what was it?

"There **is** no negotiating with them," Will tried again. Galloway lost his patience.

"I'm ordering you to stand down," he snarled in Will's face. Jaime stiffened at his threatening posture. **No one** threatened her **dad**. Epps put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from making things worse. "You won't be needing **this** anymore," Galloway reached up and ripped off Will's badge. Jaime's lip curled back in a snarl as she began to see red. That was strike two… "Now get your assets back to base!" Galloway glanced at Optimus' lifeless form. "And take that pile of scrap metal back to—"

Strike three! That was it! She'd had it with the man. Jaime made the best decision her sleep-deprived mind was able to make. She attacked him. Everyone was taken by surprise when Jaime suddenly launched herself at Galloway. Even Jazz hadn't expected the girl to strike Galloway, not when he had the power over Will to make his life difficult.

"Don't you **dare** call him that!" she screamed, pummeling the man with her fist. She even bent down and sunk her teeth into his nose. **Crack!** Will and Epps—who were the closest—were the first to overcome their shock and tried to pry the half-crazed Jaime off the bruised and whimpering Galloway. The girl clung to him like a parasite, never letting up on the beating.

"Jaime!" Will pulled on the girl with all his might. This wasn't her. The Jaime he knew was very non-confrontational. She hated violence. "Enough!" He and Epps finally managed to drag Jaime off the now trembling Galloway. Cuts and bruises littered his face and arms—which he had raised in a failed attempt to buffet the blows—and his bleeding nose was bent in a severely unnatural angle.

"You just signed your death wish!" he growled, scrambling to his feet. Jaime lunged at the man, who stumbled back, only to be grabbed tightly by Will and Epps.

"If I **ever** see you near **any** of the Autobots again, or hear you talking trash about them," Jaime promised darkly, "I swear I'll beat you to a bloody freaking pulp until there's nothing left of you but a bloody stain!" Galloway fumbled for the jeep door handle and practically jumped in. As soon as the jeep pulled away, all the aggression melted from Jaime's frame. Her shoulders slumped and she bowed her head, stifling a sob. The Autobot leader's body caught Jaime's attention, and she slowly approached the Prime.

"I really don't like that dude," Epps muttered to Will and Ricky. "He's an **asshole**." The NEST soldiers dispersed until Will, Ricky and Epps were the only soldiers remaining.

"Autobots, report to hangar for transport," the base's speakers blared to life.

"We should leave this planet," Ratchet muttered.

"Wha' 'bout Jaime?" Jazz challenged.

"She would come too of course," Ratchet snorted.

"Humans can't survive in space," Ironhide grunted.

"They can with technology," Ratchet frowned. "Have you ever hear of astronauts?"

"We c'n't separate 'er from 'er 'dopted creatuhs," Jazz added absentmindedly.

"We are not leaving this planet," Prowl finally spoke.

"But—" Ratchet began.

"That is not what Optimus would want," Prowl softly added, effectively ending any further discussion.

Jaime stopped when she was a few yards away from the Prime, and looked up at her guardian. If only they could bring Optimus back to life. If only—Jaime froze. She narrowed her eyes. She had brought Jazz back. Why should Optimus be any different? She could bring him back! Jaime spun on her heel and sprinted towards the Prime.

"Jaime? What are you doing?" a worried Will called out. Within seconds, Jaime was by the Autobot leader's side. She scrambled up his cold frame. The Autobots circled closer, each wondering what the girl was doing.

"It's gonna work…it's gotta work," Jaime chanted over and over to herself as she climbed to the top, right above the Prime's empty spark chamber. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, hand resting above Optimus' spark chamber. The mechs that had been present for Jazz's resurrection realized what the girl was up to and prayed to Primus that it would work a second time.

* * *

**Ironhide's POV **

The weapons specialist watched Jaime anxiously. He prayed to the Cybertronian god, Primus, that Jaime would be able to bring back Optimus, just like she had brought back Jazz. She'd done it once. Surely she could do it again. It had pained Ironhide to see Optimus' lifeless frame, especially since he had known the Prime longer than most. He'd known Optimus before he was even Prime!

Jaime's face was full of determination. Her right hand was placed on Optimus' chest plate. Seconds passed.

"What is she doing?" Sideswipe whispered.

"Shh!" Ironhide growled, not wanting the prankster to break Jaime's concentration. Electric blue arcs of energy crackled around her hand, dancing between her fingers. Ironhide grinned. She did it! She was going to bring Optimus back! But his—along with everyone else's—hope was short-lived. Jaime tensed, her mouth curving into a frown. Her lips parted in a silent snarl. The dancing arcs of light faded. What was going on? This didn't happen before. Jaime's body began to convulse. She twisted harshly, as if trying to break free from some invisible enemy. Her body writhed spastically until she rolled off Optimus' chest plates. Ironhide—who was the closest—quickly caught her and cradled her to his spark.

"Jaime? Jaime can you hear me?" he asked her.

"Let me see her," Ratchet demanded, stepping next to Ironhide. He peered down at the girl sprawled in Ironhide's servos, and scanned her.

"Slaggit, she's not breathing," Ratchet grumbled.

"WHAT?!" Will screeched from down below.

"Her heart beat is too faint," Ratchet added, quieter this time so Will wouldn't hear. Ironhide revved his engine. Why was this happening? Jaime didn't have this reaction when she revived Jazz! With practiced ease, Ratchet pulled from his subspace a curiously shaped object and placed it on Jaime's face. The object covered her mouth and nose. Ratchet tapped it a couple times and the mechanical device whirled to life, and latched onto the girl's face.

"What is that?" Ironhide asked.

"It acts much like the human oxygen mask. It will provide her body with oxygen so that she does not go into the first stages of oxygen deprivation," Ratchet explained, as he carefully monitored the girl.

"She only off-lined before," Ironhide murmured. "She didn't have trouble breathing."

"I know," Ratchet's optic ridges furrowed. "I don't understand why her body is reacting differently this time. As far as I can tell, nothing has changed within her since she brought back Jazz that would cause such a reaction."

"Perhaps it is something that you cannot detect," Prowl spoke up. Ratchet scowled at him.

"Are you implying something about the capabilities of my scans?" he growled lowly, servo digits twitching.

"Not at all," the SIC replied calmly.

"Then I suggest you proceed with caution." A lesser mech would have shivered at the gleam in the medic's optics. Prowl explained—while keeping a wary optic on Ratchet's twitching servo digits—Jaime's strange meditation in his office.

"Something's inside her?" Sideswipe asked.

"I do not know if something is actually residing in her," Prowl shook his helm. "But I am quite positive that something has happened recently that Jaime has been hiding from us."

"That's a load of slag," Ironhide scowled. "Why would she hide anything from us?"

"Prowl's righ'," Jazz spoke for the first time. Prowl cocked an optic ridge, noticing the saboteur's correct usage of his designation. "Somethin's been buggin' 'er lately."

"What is it?" Arcee asked.

"Don' know," Jazz vented. "She won' tell meh."

"I thought she told you everything," Sideswipe tilted his silver helm.

"'pparently not," Jazz slanted the mech a look.

"Mmm…" Optics snapped to Jaime. The girl stirred in Ironhide's servos. Ratchet reached down and disengaged the metal instrument, placing it back in his subspace pocket. Jaime's eyes slowly opened.

"Jaime?" Ironhide spoke softly.

"Meh…"

"Jaime?" Will called. "Are you okay?" Jaime's eyes slowly became more alert.

"Jaime what happened?" Ratchet asked, bending over her. "And what is this about you keeping secrets?"

* * *

_ForgotMyName2Day: Glad to hear it :D Hmmmm...interesting idea. Perhaps you'll see it as part of a filler chapter or a one shot. Hmm, I like pickle juice actually. Of course, if I drank an entire jar of that stuff, I might get sick. But I don't mind the taste. My taste buds are just awesome like that :D You know, __I never considered that before. Granted, a creepy guy in a dinosaur suit would kind of stick out and be noticeable to adults to. But you do make a good point._

* * *

**Author's Note: ….So…ehem…a lot happens in this chapter…*Glances back and forth* This is the longest chapter to date and *Tilts head, listening intently* Please leave a review! **

**Hubero: *Dives into previously made safety shelter to hide from both angry readers and bots* **

**Ironhide: *Stalks in, cannons blazing* Come out squishy! I know you're hiding around here somewhere! **

**Prowl: *Enters* Ironhide! What are you doing? **

**Ironhide: *Growls* Hunting…**

**Prowl: …For Decepticons? **

**Ironhide: …Maybe…**

**Prowl: *Sigh* Ironhide, you cannot offline the author. We do not harm humans. **

**Hubero: *Pokes head out* Oh goody! I was afraid you were going to make an exception of the rule, ya know, considering recent events. **

**Ratchet: *Enters silently and points a wrench* You! **

**Hubero: Meep! *Leaps away from the thrown wrench* If you kill me, I can't bring him back! *Runs away* **

**Ironhide: *Blinks* Did she just say…**

**Ratchet: That…that's impossible. **

**Ironhide: You know what she always says though. She's the author. She can do whatever she wants…**

**Prowl: *Optic twitches* Hubero! Cease and desist! *Transforms into police car and tears after the author with sirens blaring* **

**Ironhide and Ratchet: *Transform and pursue Hubero as well* **


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transfomers. I do own Jaime and the plot of Free Falling. **

_Thank you to all you fantastic reviewers:IronHidescannonlover, JetCycle, Shewolf-skittles-twist14, Waterfront, BeastRage the Hunter, TheGhost129, StarLight837, movielover123456, Kurohane Ookami, ForgotMyName2Day, Galem, PurpleLunaWolf, heavenslilagl420, AfterShock35, RiverOfTheWolf, Booknchoc, Jazz's lil ninja, Jazzfan0217, Abyss Prime, Demigod Princessa Of The Sea, Lynn Knight, and KayleeChiara! _

And thank you to everyone else who has read this story and added it to their favorites/alert list!

* * *

**Jaime's POV **

The girl closed her eyes and concentrated. She focused on the thought of bringing Optimus back. _Just like Jazz,_ she mused. Jaime felt herself brush up against the Allspark presence. Her body began to hum as she channeled the Allspark energy into her fingers. She could feel the arcs of energy dance around her fingers. Almost there!

**Stop child.** Jaime tensed, and frowned at the invading Allspark presence. **You cannot continue.**

**Why not?** Jaime argued, snarling at the presence. How dare it try to stop her from saving Optimus! Wasn't this her purpose? To bring back bots that had been cut down by the Decepticons?

**That is not your purpose,** the Allspark replied. Jaime's control over the Allspark energy wavered, a result of her broken concentration, and the dancing arcs of light surrounding her fingers faded. No! Jaime struggled to bring back the energy that would revive her friend. She _had_ to bring him back.

**Child… **

**No!** Jaime screamed at the Allspark. **I don't care! You're not taking him away from me!** Jaime fought the ancient presence. Her body strained to fight the powerful Allspark and began to convulse. The girl twisted harshly, trying to break free from the Allspark's growing hold.

**It is not your Destiny. **

**Then what **_**is**_** my freakin' destiny?** Jaime demanded. The Allspark seemed to sigh, then suddenly gripped her tightly. **Hey! Let me go!** Jaime writhed spastically in its powerful grasp.

**You leave me no choice,** the Allspark replied. And suddenly, there was nothing supporting her. She was free falling! Down, down, down.

"Oof!" Jaime landed on her stomach. "Ow," she moaned and pulled herself up. "What's the big idea, huh?" the irked girl demanded. She gasped when she noticed her surroundings. Where was she? Where'd everyone go? Jaime jumped to her feet and spun around. There was nothing in sight, nothing but red hot sand, and some rocky outcroppings in the distance. Jaime shielded her eyes when the wind picked up and buffeted her with stinging sand. _Where am I?_ Jaime wondered. Her thoughts seemed to echo out loud.

"Hello?!" Jaime cupped her hand to her mouth. "Anyone there?" It was at that moment, that the girl got the distinct impression that she was being watched. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and she slowly turned around. Jaime's jaw dropped. In front of her, stood ten massive Cybertronians. They were all taller than Optimus!

"Who," Jaime gulped. "Who are you?"

"We," the Cybertronian in the center—who was holding a glowing white saber—spoke in a deep rich voice, "are the Primes, youngling, and we have been watching you."

"You," Jaime frowned. "You have?"

"Your fate was sealed the moment you came into contact with the Allspark," said the Prime to the center's left. Jaime blinked. This one appeared to be a femme. The girl also noticed that her arms looked as bulky as Ironhide's when his cannons were disengaged.

"What…what are you saying?" Jaime shifted uneasily. The Prime to the center's right was the one to answer her question.

"When Primus created Cybertron, there were no Autobots or Decepticons. The factions were conceived by his creation. It pains him to see them fight and not live in peace as he intended."

"Then why doesn't he step in and stop their fighting?"

The next Prime to speak held a multi-colored quill in his servo.

"To do so, would take away their free will. If Primus did so, then they would no longer be his creation, but mindless drones."

"So…where do I fit in all of this?" Why were they telling her all of this?

"You wish to bring back Optimus," spoke the Prime in the center, white saber glowing softly. "But that is not your destiny. You must not meddle in the events to come, or the Autobots shall be woefully unprepared and missing the necessary tools they shall need." Jaime opened her mouth to ask what he was talking about, but the Prime was not finished. "You share a special connection to every single Cybertronian for a reason, youngling."

"What are you talking about? I only have bonds with the Autobots," Jaime interrupted.

"Primus does not discriminate," said the femme Prime. Jaime gulped. She…she was connected to the Decepticons? The wind picked up and Jaime was forced to squint her eyes.

"You play a crucial role in Primus' plan," spoke the Prime with the colorful quill. "Your ability will allow you to help bridge the gap between the self-proclaimed Autobots and Decepticons." The Prime's frames glowed. They brightened to the point that Jaime was forced to close her eyes. The strong wind buffeted her with tiny grains of sand, but she was still able to hear their parting words.

"Jaime, you are the key to bring them peace. That…is your destiny." Suddenly, the wind had disappeared, and she was lying on her back.

"I thought she told you everything." That…that sounded like Sideswipe…

"'pparently not." That was **definitely** Jazz. She'd recognize his accent anywhere. What were they talking about?

"Mmm…" Jaime grunted, testing to see if she could move. Her head was so fuzzy. Jaime slowly opened her eyes, surprised to Ironhide peering down at her. She realized that the hard surface she was laying on was his servo. Why was she in his servo?

"Jaime?" Ironhide spoke softly.

"Meh…" Her throat was dry. Jaime swallowed a few times.

"Jaime?" Was that Will? He sounded like was somewhere down below. "Are you okay?" Was she okay? Why was he asking her that? Did something happen? She felt like she was forgetting something important. Jaime felt herself become more alert.

"Jaime what happened?" Ratchet asked, bending over her. "And what is this about you keeping secrets?" Secrets? Jaime looked up at the medic. He didn't look too happy. Uh oh. What did she do now?

"Ugh," Jaime groaned and slowly sat up, placing her hand on her head. "What happened?" All the Autobots seemed to freeze.

"Ya…ya don' remembuh?" Jazz asked.

"It's kinda fuzzy," she rubbed her temple.

"You…attempted to…bring Optimus—" Ironhide carefully began. Jaime jolted to her feet. Optimus! She whirled around and peered over Ironhide's curled servo digits to see the Prime lying on the ground. Jaime's shoulders slumped. It hadn't worked. She had failed.

"Jaime?" Prowl spoke. She slowly turned her head to face the SIC. "Are you…" The mech stopped, as if unsure how to word his question. Jaime glanced around at the bots. They all looked tense and nervous. And they were staring at her, as if waiting for something to happen.

"What?" she demanded. "What's wrong with you guys? Stop staring at me like I'm going to drop dead." They all flinched at her words. _That's…strange…_ thought Jaime.

"Are you having any problems breathing?" Ratchet asked, taking a step closer.

"What? No," Jaime backed up. The medic was seriously invading her personal space. "I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" None of the Autobots answered her. Instead, they all seemed to look away and avoid Jaime's gaze. Sideswipe was the one to eventually break the silence.

"Well, you kind of…stopped…breathing…" the silver mech shrugged.

"When you tried to bring…him…back," Ironhide continued, only hesitating when he glanced at his leader's lifeless frame, "You had some sort of negative reaction. You were twitching worse than Ratchet on a bad day." The CMO glared at Ironhide, but was too focused on Jaime's wellbeing to do anything to the weapons specialist at the moment. Besides, he was still holding the girl, smart fragger. He'd get his revenge later. Ironhide's checkup was coming up soon…

Jaime furrowed her eyebrows in concentration. That was right. She was trying to bring Optimus back. But…the Allspark stopped her because…Jaime tensed, remembering her strange dream of the Primes. Holy crap! The Primes! She'd met **the** Primes!

"What happened?" Prowl asked, catching her subtle change in posture and noting the look of recognition in her eyes.

"…Oh…" was all Jaime said. She glanced at Optimus again. She couldn't bring the Prime back. As much as it hurt to admit that, the Allspark and Primes had made it glaringly obvious. It wasn't her destiny to bring the mech back…but…why did she have this nagging feeling to stay close to his body? "Put me down Hide."

"What?" Ironhide blinked.

"Put me down," she repeated with such persuasion, that Ironhide wordlessly lowered his servo to the ground. Jaime stepped off his servo and marched over to the Prime. She tilted her head. Yes, she could definitely feel it now. She felt like there was…something…hovering just out of reach. Like there was something she should understand or be doing. The feeling was much like an incessant insect buzzing near one's ear. Jaime kept her face neutral and reached out to touch Optimus' arm. The feeling seemed to flare and become more tangible at her touch. The strange sense became more recognizable. It was then that Jaime realized what she was meant to do. She wasn't meant to bring Optimus back, because that was someone else's destiny. But she did need to act as an anchor so the Prime's spark did not become lost in the Well of Sparks.

Jaime ignored the startled gasps when she heaved herself up Optimus' frame. Within moments, she had climbed up to the mech's chest plates.

"Jaime," Ratchet held up a placating servo. "I do not think it would be wise to proceed once more due to your previous reaction."

"Agreed," she murmured.

"He's right," Ironhide grunted. "I know you want to try again but—wait—what?"

"I agree," Jaime repeated. She gazed up at the bots and looked each one in the optics. "I can't bring him back," she sighed. "…I'm sorry."

* * *

**Jolt's POV **

"She can't stay out there all night. It's too cold," Ratchet muttered. "She'll get sick."

"She's been with him for hours," Ironhide grumbled. "I don't think she plans on leaving him anytime soon."

"Well someone needs to talk to her," The frustrated medic growled. Jazz opened his mouth plates to volunteer, Sideswipe as well.

"I'll go." Helms turned to stare at Jolt.

"Jolt?" Ratchet blinked at his apprentice in surprise.

"I shall go talk to her," said Jolt before turning and striding out to the tarmac where Jaime was still perched on the Prime's chest plates. The blue mech walked over to the hunched over girl silently. She appeared to be asleep, but upon his approach, she lifted her head.

"Jolt," she blinked at him in surprise.

"Jaime," he nodded. They stared at each other for a few moments.

"Do you," Jolt shifted somewhat awkwardly, "Do you mind if I join you?" Jaime shook her head. The mech settled on the ground in his bi-pedal form. Neither one talked for the next few minutes.

"I don't get it," Jaime finally spoke. Jolt tilted his helm, silently urging her to continue. "Why did they send you out here?"

"They did not send me out here," Jolt responded. "…I volunteered."

"Really?" The mech nodded. "Why?"

"Because I am curious." Jaime peered up at him in confusion. "Why are you so adamant in not leaving the Prime's side?" He didn't understand it. Prime was gone. The bond between her and his leader was broken. There was nothing left connecting them. And she had admitted that she was unable to bring him back. So why did the youngling feel the need to stay by Prime's side? Was it loyalty? Or denial? Or something else?

"I can't leave him," she sighed, staring down at the fallen mech's darkened optics.

"Why?" Jaime glanced up at Jolt.

"Because he needs me," was her simple reply. Jolt tilted his helm.

"He needs you."

"Yes." Jolt vented. He wondered if it wasn't the other way around. Did she hope that remaining near him would bring him back?

"Why does he need you?" He decided to play along. Jaime pursed her lips. She seemed hesitant to answer. Did she think he would mock her? The thought hurt, Jolt realized with some surprise. He'd never really socialized with her before, but it wasn't because he disliked her. He thought she was just fine. He didn't really socialize in general. Not since…Jaime shifted on the Prime's chest plates.

"It's…complicated…" she sighed. Jolt studied her.

"Can you still feel him?" he asked. She shouldn't be able to feel him, not since he was offlined. But Jaime was a special case. She tended to be the exception to the regular. Jazz was an excellent example.

"Kind of." Jolt's optics snapped to her. She could feel him? How? She must have sensed his surprise because she immediately shook her head. "Not the way you're thinking. It's more like…I fell like he's still here. Like, he hasn't completely left." The mech considered her words. "I guess that doesn't make much sense though," she shrugged.

"No, I understand."

"You do?" her eyes widened in astonishment.

"Yes," he nodded. "I…I have felt it myself." The girl gazed up at him thoughtfully. No doubt, she was dying to ask what he meant, but she didn't. Jolt appreciated it. He didn't know why, but he felt the urge to tell her why. Perhaps it was her silence that urged the mech to continue. Or maybe, he'd had the burden weighing him down for so long that he could no longer keep it to himself.

"You cannot feel him through the bond, but you can still sense that his presence is nearby." Jaime nodded at him wordlessly. Jolt gazed at his fallen leader. "I had a sister."

"You did?" Jolt nodded.

"She was sparked right before the war began. When the Decepticons began their attacks, our creators were caught in the crossfire, and it was up to me to raise her." As Jaime attentively listened to him tell his story, he felt himself be pulled into the past and it was like he was experiencing it again. "She was exceptionally bright, and she never thought badly of anyone. She was…what's that human phrase?"

"She saw the good in everyone?" Jaime supplied.

"That's the one," he nodded. "This was before I joined the Autobots. I couldn't fight and look after her at the same time. She had just been moved into her first youngling frame when it happened."

* * *

_Explosions sounded in the distance. Sirens blared overhead, warning citizens to take cover._

"_Moonlight! Moonlight where are you?" Jolt called, searching desperately for his little sister. The femmeling was a bundle of energy and—although she was usually very well-behaved—she tended to wander off. Her naive curiosity was going to get her hurt someday. Jolt just hoped today wasn't the day. He heard a small whimper to his left. The mech silently jogged over to the empty building. He carefully peered through a broken window. Inside sat a small sniffling blue, white and silver form. _

"_Moonlight!" Jolt hissed before entering the small room. The femmeling started at his voice. _

"_Jolt!" she cried, recognizing her older brother and leapt into his arms. "I'm sorry. I thought I saw a cybercat and I just wanted to pet it. I thought we could bring it home, but I lost it. And then, I didn't know where it was." _

"_Shhh," he stroked her helm. "We'll just have to be quick before—" At that moment, the sirens cut off. Jolt froze. When the threat was gone and it was okay to come out, the siren's sound would play a three note tune. But they had stopped abruptly, it had been __**cut off**__, which probably meant the Decepticons were now in the city. _Scrap_, he thought. He prayed to Primus there weren't too many. Besides, the Autobots should already be mobilizing and on their way to defend the neutral city. They just needed to wait for them. _

"_Jolt," his sister whispered. "I'm scared." He glanced down at her. Her bright blue optics were wide with terror. Even at such a young age, the young femme was very much against violence and, instead, chose to help others. _

"_It's going to be okay," he whispered back, opening their bond more and pulling her closer to his spark. The youngling relaxed in his protective hold, soaking up the positive feelings he sent to her. "We're, uh, going to play a game. Okay? You have to be real quiet and stay very still. Got it?" She nodded. "You're going to be alright," Jolt murmured. And he could tell by the look in her optics that she believed him. _

_It was at that moment when Jolt realized his mistake. "Did you say that you saw a cybercat?" he asked lowly. That couldn't be right because there were no cybercats in this city. She nodded, then blinked. _

"_You lost the game," she gave a hesitant smile. Jolt didn't answer because he was getting the feeling that they were being watched. Ever so casually, he slowly turned his helm to glance over his left shoulder. Only a few yards away hovered a single red optic. Growling filled the room. The red optic moved forward and Jolt found himself staring at a rather large cybercat. He recognized the cybercat from pictures he'd seen of dangerous Decepticons. If that cat was who he thought it was, there were surely more Decepticons nearby. Jolt stepped back, angling himself in front Moonlight. The cybercat hissed and the metal on its hindquarters transformed, becoming two blasters. Its message was clear: __**don't move**__. Jolt realized two things. The Con was stalling for its comrades to come, and if he wanted to get Moonlight to safety, he was going to have to take down the cybercat. Although he knew the basics on how to defend himself, Jolt was no soldier. He'd never fought before. Of course he hadn't. He was a neutral. He'd never needed to know how to fight, until now. _

_Luckily, he had a secret weapon, the reason he was named Jolt. As far as he knew, Jolt was the only Cybertronian who had whips and the ability to conduct his own electricity through them. He had only one shot. He had to make it count. His right servo was already partially hidden. Jolt silently activated his transformation sequence to bring out his whip. The cybercat snarled at him and took an aggressive step closer. With lightning speed, Jolt raised his servo and fired his whip—much like a grappling hook—at the Decepticon. It latched onto the center of its chest. Before the cybercat could fire at him, Jolt sent a massive electric charge through the whip. The Con shook, as the electricity raced over its frame, and slumped to the ground. _

_Jolt retracted his whip, scooped up Moonlight with his other hand, and sprinted out of the room. Apparently he hadn't been fast enough. Three Decepticons were already standing in the street. Jolt skidded to a stop, horror pulsing in his spark. They grinned at him maliciously. He was surrounded by three Cons. Their dark armor was sharp and jagged, and all looked like experienced fighters. _

"_Well, well, well, Crowbar. What have we got here?" spoke the one in front of Jolt. The mech—Jolt decided—must be the leader, since he took charge of the situation. _

"_Hmm. I don't know, Crankcase. Uh... what do you think, Hatchet?" said Crowbar, who was standing on Jolt's right. The last one, Hatchet, didn't reply, only snickered lowly and baring its fangs. His frame was different from the other two. Instead of standing on two legs, he crouched on four. Jolt was reminded of the cybercat from before. He hoped the Con was still knocked out. _

"_Yeah, just what I was thinking. A couple of pathetic Neutrals!" chuckled Crowbar. Jolt struggled to formulate an escape plan—a way to get Moonlight to safety—but noting surfaced. On the outside he remained cool and collected, but on the inside he was heavily berating himself for getting Moonlight into this situation, though technically it was her fault. But that was Jolt. He never blamed her for anything, ever. _

"_My, my, what a pretty little femme," Their leader Crankcase hissed. Jolt revved his engine threateningly. They were __**not**__ getting their servos on her. The Decepticons only laughed at the sound. _

"_Looks like someone doesn't want to share," growled Crowbar. "We'll have to…fix that…" Things were escalating. He needed to get out of here __**now**__. They all shuffled a little closer. There! Jolt leapt at the opening provided. Just when he thought he was free, he felt a servo harshly grab his arm. The next thing he knew, he was being slammed onto the ground. Jolt groaned, trying to overcome the sudden daze that had descended over his processor. _

"_That wasn't very nice," Crankcase hissed in his ear. _

"_Lemme go!" Jolt gasped, and tried to jump to his pedes, but Crankcase slammed him into the ground again. _

"_Ah, ah, ah," he smirked. "I'd watch it if I were you. Otherwise, there might be a little…accident…" Jolt gazed up at his sister, who was now in the servos of Crowbar. _

"_Shut it!" he snapped at her, shaking her roughly. Jolt was unable to repress the dark protective growl that ripped through his vocal cords. Moonlight whimpered, ending her cries for help. _

"_Just let her go," Jolt begged. He hated himself for stooping so low—to a Decepticon no less—but he'd do anything to get Moonlight to safety. _

"_Hmmm, are you sure?" Crowbar asked with a malicious glint in his optic. Seconds later, he was holding the curled youngling over Hatchet's open mouth plates. _

"_No!" Crowbar laughed at Jolt's terror. _

"_Make up your mind mech," Crankcase snickered. _

"_Just…Don't hurt her," Jolt implored. "She's only a youngling." _

"_And she'll grow up to be an Autobot," Crankcase snarled. "We've learned that we need to handle these problems when they're smaller." _No_, thought Jolt. The mech began to struggle under the Decepticon's firm hold, but he was unable to wriggle free. _

"_Lights out little femme," grinned Crowbar, squeezing her tiny helm tighter. _

"_Jolt!" Moonlight sought the help of her brother, who she had always believed to be invincible. _

"_Moonlight!" Jolt cried, never stopping his struggles to get free. _

"_Stop it," Crankcase snarled, slamming Jolt's faceplates into the ground. The mech groaned, and shook his aching helm to clear his processor. _

"_Aaaiiieee!" Jolt gasped at the sound. He looked up to see Crowbar digging his sharp digits into his sister's helm. He felt her terror race through his spark as his own. Jolt snapped. A dark murderous growl ripped from his vocal cords. He managed to free his arm that had been pinned down, and latched it onto Crankcase. _

"_What are you—" A massive electrical shock was discharged. The Decepticon cried out in surprise and convulsed, before dropping to the ground. Free, Jolt leapt at Crowbar with lightning speed. He and Hatchet had been so shocked by Jolt's surprise attack—his weapon choice specifically—to stop him. Jolt slammed into Crowbar, making sure not to crush Moonlight, and pinned him to the ground. He quickly laid Moonlight a few feet away on the ground. Jolt was suddenly tackled from behind. He and his attacker rolled on the ground. Jolt was pinned to his back and Hatchet was on top, snarling at him. Jolt grabbed him with his whip and overloaded the Con's frame with electricity. The Decepticon twitched and Jolt pushed him off. He faced off with the last Decepticon. _

"_Now, let's not be too hasty—" began Crowbar. Jolt launched himself at the Decepticon, who ducked out of the way, only to realize it was a diversion. He looked down to see two whips attached to his frame. _

"_Frag," was all he had time to mutter before Jolt let loose another discharge, the biggest so far. Crowbar screamed in agony before offlining. Jolt stood there venting, his processor catching up with what he had just done. He…he'd taken down the Decepticons, all three. A pained whimper caught his attention. Moonlight! The mech ran to her and skidded to his knees. _

"_Moonlight?" he asked with baited breath. _

"_J-Jolt?" she mewled. Oh Primus, her helm was leaking everywhere! How much energon had she lost? "Jolt…it…it hurts." Jolt scanned her helm and he knew—even without specialized medical scans—that her condition was critical. The gouges were too big. Too many important wires had been frayed and ripped. _

"_Moonlight," he choked. "You're…you're going to be alright." She gazed up at him with her bright blue optics. And he knew that she believed him. After everything that had happened, she still believed in him. Jolt's spark broke. _

"_I'm tired," she murmured, optics going dim. _

"_No, Moonlight!" Jolt gasped, holding her gently. "You need to stay online! Stay with me!" But she didn't hear him. Or maybe she could but was unable to obey his command. Her optics dimmed until they were dark, completely devoid of life. _

"_Moonlight!" He forced open their dying bond, trying to bring her back, trying to pull her closer to his spark. But she was slipping away. _

_**I'm sorry,**__ she told him over their shattering bond. And then, he couldn't feel her anymore. She was gone. A cold void took her place._

_"No," he sniffled, "I'm sorry."_

* * *

"Is that why you became a medic?" Jaime asked softly. Jolt was pulled back into the present.

"More or less," he absentmindedly rubbed his chest plate.

"So," the girl gazed up at him carefully, "you…understand why I can't leave him, right?"

"Yes," Jolt nodded. He stared at her for a few moments before transforming into his blue Chevy Volt vehicle. He popped the backseat door as a silent invitation.

"What are you—" Jaime began.

"Ratchet is concerned that you will get sick if you stay out in the open like this," said Jolt. "If you wish to remain near the Prime and not be taken inside by Ratchet, might I suggest that you stay in my alt-form?"

"Are—are you sure?" she blinked at him in surprise.

"I wouldn't be offering if I wasn't," he replied. She gave him a soft smile and carefully slid down the Prime's frame.

**:: Excellent work, Jolt :: **commed Ratchet, no doubt thinking the mech had somehow convinced the girl to come inside. Jaime crawled into Jolt's interior. He closed the door and scooted closer to the Prime so Jaime could see him out the window.

**:: Jolt? What are you doing? ::** asked Ratchet when his apprentice made no move to come inside.

**:: Jaime wishes to remain near the Prime. I see no reason to separate her from him ::** Jolt responded.

**:: So—what—are planning to stay out there with her all night? ::** Ratchet sputtered.

**:: It looks like it ::** But that was okay. Jolt didn't mind. He understood Jaime's desire to be near the Prime's body. He saw no reason to deny her the small comfort. Jolt spent the night keeping an eye on the sleeping girl and keeping her warm.

* * *

**Will's POV **

The major watched with a disapproving gaze, arms crossed.

"NEST departure, 2100 hours," the speakers blared. Will watched the Autobots roll by on flatbed trailers, covered in nets. He growled at the sight of the nets. He knew the nets were purposely used to limit the Autobots' mobility. It was so ridiculous because—if they really wanted to—the bots could easily break themselves free. But they didn't. Instead, they complied with the excuse—so they don't slide around as much during transport—they were given.

"So, we're shipping them back to base," Will muttered, only loud enough for Epps and Ricky—who were standing right beside him—to hear. "This is such a mistake."

"Major Lennox," Will turned towards the voice, Epps looking over his shoulder as well, "phone call." Will accepted the military cell phone from the NEST soldier.

"This is Lennox."

"Lennox, I'm with the kid." Will frowned. Who was this? "The **kid**." Wait a minute, he knew that voice. Was…was that Simmons? From Sector Seven? "You know, the one with the attitude, right?" Attitu—There was only one person Simmons would describe in such a way. What was **Sam** doing with that **jerk** from Sector Seven? "We need the truck. The truck." Will frowned. Truck? What on earth was the guy talking about? "We got a possible resurrection going on over here." Will inhaled sharply. He couldn't possible mean…Will glanced at Prime's body as it rolled by, Jaime perched on top. The major opened his mouth to spew a list of questions but the man didn't let up. "You're not gonna believe where we are. Code Tut, as in King Tutankhamen. Back of a one dollar bill." Location! He was giving him a location! Will spun to face Epps.

"Pen!" he hissed. The sergeant hurriedly handed Will a pen and small scrap of paper.

"Coordinates for airdrop," Simmons continued, "29.5 North, 34.88 East. Write it down. Write it!" Will quickly scrawled the numbers on the paper.

"Wait, how are you gonna—" Will began but apparently Simmons was done with the conversation.

"Got to go. Okay. Heat comes." Will opened his mouth to speak, but he was met with static. The line had disconnected.

"What is it?" Epps asked. Ricky had the same question shining in his eyes. Will glanced around.

"You," he pointed at Ricky, "are on Galloway watch." Ricky nodded.

"Why do you need me to—" Ricky began to ask, but Will shook his head.

"No time to explain. You're with me," he pointed at Epps. "Let's go."

* * *

Will waited impatiently for the NEST soldier to walk down the stairs of the plane working as their temporary control room.

"Coordinates, 29.5 North, 34.88 East. Tip of the Red Sea. Gulf of Aqaba."

"Egypt?" Epps asked, accepting the piece of paper from the man. "Are you serious?" he glanced at Will, who wore a puzzled expression. _Why Egypt?_ Will wondered. The two walked a few paces away so no one would overhear.

"Even if we _could_ figure out a way to get big man over there," Epps spoke lowly, "how is this kid supposed to bring him back to life? Especially when Jaime couldn't?"

"Look, I don't know," Will sighed. He didn't know how Sam could possibly bring Optimus back when Jaime—who had a direct connection to the Allspark—was unable to. But the boy believed he could bring Optimus back. Although, to be fair, he did take down Megatron, and they **really** needed Optimus…"but we got to trust him."

"Are we going to tell Jaime?" Epps asked. Will paused. It hurt to see the girl so grim, but he didn't want to get her hopes up for nothing. After all, he didn't even know what Sam had in mind.

"No," he shook his head. "I…I don't know if she could take the disappointment, you know?" Epps nodded in understanding. Although she had been extremely quiet, Jaime was no longer unresponsive. She was aware of what was happening around her. But Will was afraid that if Jaime's hopes were raised only to be later crushed, she'd go back into the daze it took nearly a day to snap her out of. _Please let this work,_ thought Will.

* * *

_Kurohane Ookami: I know right? Does he really think that I'll stop running away from him if he tells me to? *Sarcastically* Only if you ask nicely Prowler! Heh, thanks! I'm glad someone else enjoyed it as much as I did :D_

_ForgotMyName2Day: Awww, I'm sorry. But as you learn in this chapter, it's not her destiny. Haha! Sam's already running away from enough (Alice, Decepticons, Governments, etc.). O.O Remind me not to get on your bad side…Hm, I didn't think of Jaime wielding the Allspark energy like that. That'd probably be alittle overkill though. _

_Galem: Oh gosh, I think everyone loved that. Glad you liked it though! I knew I had to get it just right thought because I knew everyone had high expectations._

* * *

**Author's Note: *****Pops out of a bomb shelter in the middle of Russia* Awww, I loved the feedback guys. And I love how Galloway's pummeling was everyone's favorite/most talked about part :D Now *Cracks knuckles* we got a lot of announcements here, so listen up.**

**Announcement #1****: Now, some of you were asking why Jaime couldn't bring back Optimus. Well first of all, you learn it's not her destiny. The Bots—well, namely Optimus—need the Matrix. It's an important part of being Prime (you know, having the wisdom of past Primes to help you and all that). Also, Jaime's conscious when loses the connection with Optimus. With Jazz, she was asleep. Her defensive walls were down and her connection with the Allspark was wide open. She's more susceptible to anything connected to the Allspark when she's unconscious (a great example this chapter is with the Primes). **

**Announcement #2****: Speaking of the Primes…I threw in some of those descriptions (the white saber, the feather and the femme with weapons) after doing some research on the Primes. Can you guess who they are? :) Now, she meets ten Primes. In my story, there is the original thirteen (I think the movie used a different number?). But not all of them were good. There's Megatronus who becomes the Fallen. Then there's Liege Maximo, who was another Prime who fell to evil. And lastly, there's Amalgamous Prime. And apparently, he's a shape-shifter and trickster. So I don't think he'd really be 'hanging out' with the other 'good' Primes. **

**Announcement #3****: Updates may be slower than usual. I'm taking this summer class which is like a power course. It's Monday through Thursday…for three hours a day. Why did I think it was a good idea? Well, I wanted to get it done. It's only for about three weeks, so I should survive :D So yea, if I disappear for awhile, then that's why…Or Ratchet and Prowl finally teamed up and took me out for all the times I've made them glitch and got rid of the evidence…**

**Announcement #4****: Lastly, I did not expect this to happen. I originally planned to put Jolt in this chapter just so he'd have a little cameo/recognition chapter. When I started typing the flashback scene, I only expected it to be a few paragraphs long...not nearly a third of the story. And it's got me hooked. There was so much more I could write, but I just can't fit it all in. In short, Jolt kinda stole this chapter…and a part of my heart :) So what I'm asking is, would any of you guys be interested in reading an origin type story centered around Jolt and why he joined the Autobots and why he is the way he is? Because there's really not that many stories that center around him. Comments are appreciated, whether you want to read the story, know anything about Jolt's character (because I don't, although I plan to do some research), or both!**

**Announcement #5: This chapter is seriously the longest chapter to date. O.o They're getting so bloody long and hard to proofread! Although, I'm sure you guys are really loving the length :)**

**~Hubero **


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own transformers…blah, blah, blah…I own Jaime and the plot of Free Falling…yada, yada, yada…On to the story!**

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed: RiverOfTheWolf, Lynn Knight, Jazz's lil ninja, movielover123456, WingBladeWeaver1357, Abyss Prime, Cloud-Dancer103, JetCycle, KayleeChiara, Jazzfan0217, Autobot Aftershock, Kurohane Ookami, Galem, Shewolf-skittles-twist14, Demigod Princessa Of The Sea, Hawkie-Chan, PurpleLunaWolf, Luna Uchiha666, PepperCornPie, and Autobot Mechanical-operations ! Your reviews make my day! :D_

* * *

**Will's POV **

Will sighed as he fiddled with his military vest. They'd been flying for hours. It had to be happening soon. The major ignored Galloway—who was sitting next to him reading something—and glanced over at Jaime. She had given Galloway the stink eye when he boarded and the man had stayed as far away from the girl as possible. She had noted with some satisfaction that the man's nose was still bandaged. Jaime had kept to herself, staying near Optimus. Will wondered what excuse he would tell Jaime about their diversion. She was smart enough to be suspicious that something was happening. But when he looked over, he was relieved to see that she was sleeping. Hopefully she'd stay that way. Will frowned when he noticed something.

Although he was relieved to see that she was getting some rest, he noticed that she'd been rather lethargic these last few days. He thought back and remembered her being tired and sleeping a lot after Jeong Jeong died, and—from what he'd heard from those who'd been on base—while he and his team were in Shanghai. She seemed to get sleepy whenever she was…stressed.

He tilted his head in thought. Was that how she handled it? He had to admit, she went through a lot of things a kid her age shouldn't. She shouldn't have to put up with all this. This was supposed to be her childhood. Will vowed from then on, that he would make more of an effort to do things with her that kids should be doing, something fun, like that soccer game they played on Jaime's birthday. They'd visit the farm after this. It had been too long since seeing Sarah and Annabelle three months ago. The speakers blared to life overhead.

"We've had an engine malfunction. We're gonna have to divert to SOCCENT. Flight master, let's lighten the load and prepare for bailout." Will allowed himself a few seconds to take in Galloway's startle look, hiding his delight of course.

"Bailout? Bailout?" the man squawked. "Bailout? Bailout?" Will mentally ordered himself to remain professional as he heaved himself into a standing position.

"All right, team," he yelled, "grab your chutes!"

"Bailout, like **bailout**?" Galloway continued to babble. Will turned to him.

"You familiar with the standard MC-4?"

"Of course not! I've never jumped out of a perfectly good airplane before!" Galloway snapped before anxiety began to cloud his face. "Wait a minute, is this really happening?" The man glanced around, taking in the sight of the other soldiers readying themselves.

"Yeah," Will replied, beginning to strap on the man's parachute. "All right, here we go." Will immediately bit the inside of his cheek when a preparing Epps rotated and 'accidentally' bumped Galloway from behind. The man stumbled forward a couple steps.

"Wait a minute. Wait a minute," Galloway regained his balance and glanced at the sergeant suspiciously before pinning Will with a critical gaze. "You're **behind** this, aren't you?" Will made sure to keep his cool.

"What are you talking about?" Will asked, purposefully making his face look confused. "You heard the pilot. These guys don't mess around," He shook his head, never stopping in securing the parachute. "This is just standard procedure. I'm just following orders to the letter." Unable to suppress the somewhat childish urge to add emphasis to his words, Will tugged the straps a little harder than necessary causing some very sharp discomfort in Galloway's lower extremities. "Isn't that what you said?" Will asked, struggling not to smirk at the man's hilarious pained look.

"**You**," Galloway growled, teeth still clenched in pain, "just signed a **death** **warrant** on your career, Major." All of a sudden, the plane tilted precariously to the side and they all struggled to maintain their balance. As soon as the plane had righted itself, Galloway had completely forgotten his anger and was nearly clinging to the major. "What was that?" he asked in a fearful tone. "What was that?" Will suppressed the need to role his eyes. Of course, Ricky was having way too much time as the copilot and faking an engine malfunction. He had to admit though, he had asked for it.

—_**Earlier—**_

"You want me to fake an engine malfunction?" Ricky asked in a dubious tone. "With Galloway onboard?"

"Yup," Will nodded, clapping a hand on the man's shoulder. "You can handle that, right?"

"How am I supposed to fake an engine malfunction without actually making the engine malfunction?" he asked with a frown.

"Make it convincing," Will smirked.

—_**Presently—**_

Yup, he'd totally asked for it. At least Galloway seemed completely convinced now.

"That's not good," said Will, pretending to look around nervously. He had to play his part for this to work. He should be getting a damn Oscar for his performance. "Come on," he grabbed Galloway by the arm. "Right this way!" The back of the plane opened up and Will led the now panicking man to the back near the door.

"I can't jump out of an airplane!" Galloway nearly screeched. "I have an ulcer! No, no." He dug his heels into the ground. As if that would slow Will down. He could carry Galloway over his shoulder no problem. But if he just threw Galloway out of the plane, their ruse would be discovered. Not to mention, the major didn't exactly trust Galloway to remember to pull the cord, judging by the terrorized look in his eyes. Despite his extreme dislike for the man, he didn't really want the man to end up becoming a red smear on the ground thousands of feet before. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

"Come on. It's okay," Will coaxed, dragging him closer to the opening.

"I really can't do this! What are you doing—"

"Come here! Come here."

"Why aren't you wearing your chute?" Galloway suddenly asked. Was he seriously **just** noticing that now?

"Because I have to secure the VIPs first!" Will shouted—the wind was noisy this close to the opening—and Galloway seemed to accept his answer. "Okay, I want you to listen very carefully and **memorize** everything that I say." Will continued to shout, but he kept his voice low enough so the man was straining to hear what he was saying. Galloway leaned forward with a frown, struggling to hear his overly complex instructions. "Each chute has a GPS tracker so you can be found by Search and Rescue. Right next to that's a fabric webbing called a bridle, which holds the pin that keeps the main container closed. Okay," Will paused. No doubt the special terms were muddling the man's terror-struck mind and only causing more panic, which was Will's intent. Galloway's eyes had glazed over. "Are you listening?" Will shouted, feigning impatience.

"I can't hear what," he was furiously shaking his head and his hand failing as emphasis.

"Stop that!" Will slapped the man. He didn't have time for this. He needed to hurry up and get rid of Galloway before Jaime woke up.

"All right. All right," Galloway seemed to stifle a sob, which was just too hilarious. Here was a man who took great pleasure in other people's unhappiness. And later, here was the same man looking like he was about to pee his pants…If he hadn't already. Justice was being served. _Do not laugh, remain professional. Do not laugh, remain professional. Do not laugh, remain professional._ Will repeated the mantra in his head after seeing Galloway's panic-stricken expression.

"All right," Will continued. "When the pilot chute inflates into the air, it pulls the pin and opens the main. Red's your backup, blue's your primary." Will gestured. "I want you to pull the blue." This part was crucial. "I need you to pull it really hard!" He stressed it again. Predictably, Galloway pulled the blue, just as Will was hoping for. "Not now, we're on the plane, you dumb-ass!" For a split second, Galloway stared at Will and understanding lit his features, no doubt Will's twitching mouth corners had been a dead giveaway. But before he could even considering ranting at Will, a gust of wind caught the parachute and yanked the man out of the plane, who was now screaming bloody murder. Will finally allowed himself a grin of satisfaction and walked back towards the front, the back doors closing. He glanced at Jaime and was relieved to see that she was still asleep. He stopped next to his buddy Epps.

"He say good-bye?" the sergeant asked conversationally. Will glanced over and spotted the gleam in his eye.

"Naw, he didn't even say good-bye," Will answered, his smirk stretching even wider.

* * *

**Jaime's POV **

The girl had woken up when the atmosphere of the plane changed. They seemed to be nearing their destination, judging by the other soldier's preparations. Jaime frowned in confusion. _That seemed awfully fast, _she mused. Her attention turned to Epps and Ricky, who seemed to be really enjoying themselves as they strapped their equipment on. Epps just could not stop laughing, and if Ricky's grin stretched any further Jaime was sure that his cheeks were sure to explode. Will caught her eye and strode over to her. She patted Optimus' shoulder plate one last time and slid off his frame to meet the major.

"Are we at Diego Garcia already?" she asked, her sleepiness fading. Will shook his head.

"We're making a quick stop," he said.

"Where?" she asked.

"Egypt." Jaime frowned. Egypt? What was in Egypt? Before she could ask him, he was already speaking to her again.

"I want you to stay here on the plane with the pilots, okay?"

"Why?"

"Because I want you to remain safe," Will placed a hand on her shoulder. Safe?

"Are you expecting some kind of confrontation?" the girl asked. Something was off. There was some piece of the puzzle she wasn't seeing.

"…We should be fine," he gave her a small smile, but it seemed a bit strained. Before she could ask any more questions, the back of the plane was opening. _They're airdropping,_ Jaime realized. Men started to jump out. With a start, Jaime realized that the Prime's frame was sliding towards the opening.

"Will!" Jaime gasped, pointing at Optimus. Will glanced at where she was pointing, but didn't seem concerned.

"It's okay," he soothed. "We're gonna, um, borrow him for a bit." Jaime glanced up at him. He was acting **really** strange.

"But…I need to stay with him," Jaime struggled to explain. She couldn't leave Optimus. Not now. She needed to make sure—

"No," Will frowned, his tone serious. "You're staying here." The Autobot leader's body slid the rest of the way out and disappeared from view. Jaime's throat closed up. "I'll see you soon." The major turned around and strode towards the opening.

"Will," Jaime pleaded. The man faced her one last time.

"**Stay**. **Here**," he ordered in his commander voice, before jumping into the open sky. As soon as he had leapt out of the plane, the door slowly slammed shut. Jaime sighed, staring at the metal for a few moments, before settling on a nearby seat.

* * *

**Will's POV**

The wind tore at his uniform as he plunged towards the earth. He forced his thoughts to focus on the matter at hand and banish the image of Jaime's forlorn face from his mind. Jaime would be fine. The pilots were going to stop at a nearby naval base. She would be out of harm's way and protected. Will yanked the cord of his parachute, slowing his descent. Moments later, he was on the ground and shrugging off the harness, his surrounding men mirroring his actions.

"Go!" He ordered as soon as he was ready to push ahead. "Let's move it." Men secured their weapons and equipment, quickly invading the small village. "Remember, they're friendlies," Will called out. The villagers were not their main concern. No, Will had only two concerns. Find Sam, and avoid Decepticon detection. Will heard Ironhide and Ratchet's engines roaring somewhere to his right. Will lead a group of soldiers to Optimus. Some locals were studying the large foreign object, some going as far as poking him with sticks. However, they quickly retreated upon their approach.

"Cover Optimus!" Ricky called out from behind. Good, they didn't want to attract any more attention. A dead giant alien robot seemed to attract just as much as a live one. Will flinched at the harsh thought and busied himself by taking in his surroundings.

"Secure the village!" he continued to shout orders. "Get those cases down here. I need snipers and Stingers up high!"

"So, we just dropped off 10 tons of dead robot in the middle of nowhere," said Epps, gazing through his rifle scope. Will stood next to his long time buddy. "I hope this kid knows what he's doing." Will didn't blame the sergeant for his unusually harsh words towards Sam. They were all on edge. They were disobeying direct orders and could get in a heap of trouble for this. But if they could bring Optimus back, the consequences wouldn't be nearly as bad, he hoped.

"Yeah, me too," Will muttered. Minutes seemed to drag by as all the soldiers were on lookout. Everyone waited for some sign of the boy who apparently had some miraculous plan to bring the big guy back.

"Got a visual!" Ricky called from a rooftop a few yards away. "Yellow team! Four clicks!" Relief was the first thing Will felt. So the boy was nearby. The major brought his hands to his eyes to shade them from the glaring sun. He strained to see any sign of Bumblebee or the twins, but they were still too far away. And if he couldn't see them, Sam might not be able to see them. They needed to signal the teen to their position.

"Pop flare!" he ordered. Seconds later, a flare shot up into the sky. _Now we wait,_ thought Will. They did their part. They'd brought Optimus. They'd shown their position. Now Sam just had to get here and he could bring Optimus back. The major frowned when his ears picked up on a roaring jet engine.

"That thing's got alien tattoos all over it," said Epps, looking through a pair of binoculars. Will glanced up to see a jet rocketing through the sky, an F22 if his guess was correct. "That ain't Air Force," the sergeant muttered. Wait a minute…F22? Wasn't there a—Will's thought process was interrupted when a strange foreign sound cut through the air.

"What the hell was that?" Will asked no one in particular.

"Anyone copy?" Epps tapped his earpiece

"Anyone there? Who's up?" Will spoke into his comm.

"Copy?" Epps tried again. Will let out a disgusted growl and yanked out his now useless earpiece.

"Radio's down," a soldier called.

"It's dead," Will grunted, a frown marring his face. "Comms are down."

"EMP burst," Epps muttered as an explanation. _It must have been that damn jet,_ Will thought sullenly. "I see how this day is going in this godforsaken desert," Epps added, his usual sarcasm surfacing. Time seemed to drag by.

* * *

"Nothing," Epps spoke from his perch, above Will's sight range.

"Right," the major sighed before turning to a nearby soldier. "Go burn an SOS. Let the eye in the sky know we need some help."

"Yes, sir." Will shifted on his feet, growing impatient.

"Okay, boys, old school time. Pop some more flares so the kid can find us," he ordered. The boy should be here by now. He was only four clicks away. And he had both Bumblebee and the twins with him. They must be having a difficult time finding them. He didn't want to consider the other possible reason for Sam's delay. Although that jet from before sure wasn't helping.

All of a sudden, roaring filled the sky. Will and the rest of his soldiers as gazed up, hoping to see reinforcements. Will's stomach plummeted. No, they shouldn't be here. They…they were supposed to be headed towards the naval base. What were they **doing** here? Why were they back? His question was soon answered when he realized that the alien jet from before was pursuing the cargo plane. It was the bigger one. He had a sinking feeling what had happened to the smaller one. The jet was tailing the one that had been holding Optimus. The one that was holding Jaime. The jet closed in and fired a missile at the cargo plane.

"No," he whispered, unaware that Epps was beside him sharing a similar reaction. The cargo plane was big and cumbersome. It wasn't meant for quick evasive maneuvers. It didn't even have a chance of dodging the projectile. The missile struck the plane. The following explosion lit up the sky, flames licked the air in a giant show of combustion.

"JAIME!" Will bellowed to the sky. An enraged Sideswipe opened fire on the jet. But it was too far away. The jet easily evaded the enemy fire and turned tail. No, this couldn't be happening. She was supposed to be **safe**. He…he'd made sure of it. He'd **specifically** told the pilots to head straight to the naval base and keep her protected at all costs! A huge wave of despair engulfed the poor man. There was no way she—or anyone—could've survived such an explosion.

Burning leftover parts of the plane fell from the sky. No, no one could've survived that. Will clutched his rifle as his breathing became ragged. He was only distantly aware of his surroundings. The man struggled to reign in the overwhelming emotions. He couldn't lose control. Not here. He had a job to do and he had people looking to him for reassurance. He needed to—

Oh God, she was gone. Gone! He didn't want to believe it, but he'd witnessed it himself. How could she be...She was just a kid!...**His** kid…What was the last thing he'd said to her? He hadn't even thought to tell her how much he'd loved her. She knew that right? He'd always tried to make that clear in the past. But sometimes he got so busy…He'd assumed he'd be coming back. If either one of them were to severely injured he'd expect it to happen to him. He was the one going into a possible combat zone. Oh God…she was gone! And it was all his fault…

"We've got incoming!" Someone shouted.

"Will," someone shook him. "Snap outta it man." Will's gaze cleared and he saw that it was Epps who had grabbed him. "We got a whole lot of fight coming our way," the sergeant continued, a silent question shining in his eyes. His soldiers needed his direction. They needed his presence.

"How many?" the major found himself asking.

"About 13 of them," said Ricky from his right. Will glanced over and watched the man load and prime his weapon, his movements were jerky. Will caught the pained look in the man's eyes before he turned away. His friend Epps was pacing.

"This ain't good. This ain't good," the man muttered before stopping in place. "We're about to get our asses whupped." Despite the situation, despite what had just happened, Will felt his mouth twitch into a smirk. Leave it to Epps to say just what he needed to hear to keep going. Will pushed the exploding cargo plane to the back of his mind. He'd deal with that later. He needed to be at one hundred percent if he and his men were going to get out of this. They **would** get out of this. The NEST soldiers and Autobots grouped together.

"All right, those Decepticons are searching for Sam," Will began. The teen had still not shown up. It was obvious now that he'd been confronted with complications. Hopefully his guardian would still be able to get him to safety, despite the overwhelming odds. "Whatever he has, he thinks it'll bring Optimus back to life, so our mission is to find him and get him to Optimus." Will's stressed mind was racing, forming a plan on the spot. "All right, we're gonna draw fire from the left flank. I need a scout team—"

"**I'm** leading," Ironhide announced, his tone daring anyone to say otherwise. Will could feel the killer intent roll off his frame in waves. He could tell what the weapons expert was thinking. The Decepticons would pay. Will only hesitated for a brief moment before continuing.

"Go up through the middle with Arcee and Ironhide! All right, when you see the precious cargo, I want you to pop green smoke and come back through those pillars," Will pointed at said pillars. "We'll have the ambush set. All right. Let's go. Move out!" As the soldiers rose and moved as one, Will didn't even notice that an Autobot was missing. He had been too distracted by the recent events to realize that a certain saboteur had disappeared.

* * *

_Galem: Yea, I'm so excited to reach this point! Because we got some surprises in store that you guys finally get to start seeing! :D_

* * *

**Ironhide: *Storms in* Where is she? **

**Prowl: Calm yourself Ironhide. **

**Ironhide: *Optic twitches* Calm myself? Do you realize how long it took her to update? And she still hasn't brought Optimus back! **

**Jazz: We know! But…**

**Prowl: *Sighs* The authoress has not been herself. I do not think it wise that you confront her at this time. **

**Ironhide: Why? **

**[In the adjacent room] **

**Hubero: ARGH! Supid! Stupid! Stupid! *Objects can be heard being thrown around half hazardly* Where IS it? **

**Ironhide: *Glances warily at the door* What's wrong with her. **

**Jazz: *Shrugs* Don' know. She won' tell us. **

**Prowl: She has been exhibited this strange behavior ever since we caught up with her. **

**Ironhide: *Cocks helm* Why is she no longer making any noise? **

**Hubero: …EEEEKKKK! I FOUND IT! OH HAPPY DAYS! I CAN'T BELIEVE I FINALLY FOUND IT! YIPPEE! *Dashes out of the room and sees the gathered bots and confused readers* LOOK GUYS! I FOUND IT! *Proudly holds up a DVD case* **

**Prowl: *Reading the case* Transformers…Revenge of the…Fallen? *Immediately on guard* What is that? **

**Hubero: *Faces audience* Hi guys! I'm so sorry for the delay! I meant to get this posted sooner. But…I lost my Revenge of the Fallen DVD, which I use a lot when writing out the chapters to make sure I'm following the storyline as much as I possibly can. And I just couldn't continue without my research material T-T But I'm back! And ready to write more chapters! I'm so happy right now! Nothing could possibly ruin my mood! *Twirls in a happy circle clutching the DVD case* **

**Ironhide: *Smirks* Not even the fact that today is your check up with Ratchet? **

**Hubero: *Pauses* **

**Ironhide: And that you were supposed to be there 4 hours ago? **

**Hubero: …**

**Ironhide: *Smugly* He's looking for you. **

**Hubero: ...Dammit Hide! *Stomps off* **

**Prowl: *Frowns* Ironhide… **

**Ironhide: What? I thought she was issuing a challenge? *Crosses arms* Not my fault she couldn't handle it. **


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: *Checks a bunch of legal documents* Nope, I still don't own Transformers. But at least I still own Jaime, Ricky, Charlie and the plot of Free Falling._

Oh wow! You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for the reviews: Luna Uchiha666, Waterfront, IronHidescannonlover, Autobot AfterShock, Autobot Phoenix, Jazz's lil ninja, Booknchoc, PepperCornPie, Guest, Galem, JetCycle, Fallen Angel 1243, Cloud-Dancer 103, Shewolf-skittles-twist14, heavenslilagl420, RiverOfTheWolf, Abyss Prime, Demigod Princessa Of The Sea, and Answerthecall!

_Also, thank you to everyone who has favorite/is following this story! :D_

**_Note: Didn't expect to get this chapter up so fast, but it's partly due to the Author's Note down at the bottom-Please read it! (I'm basically asking your opinion on an important plot point)_**

* * *

**Ironhide's POV**

Ironhide couldn't remember the last time he'd been so pissed. When he got his servos on that coward Starscream, he was going to **rip. him. to.** **shreds**.

"Keep your cool Hide," Arcee murmured beside him as they scouted for Sam. Ironhide didn't answer. His engine only roared louder. Arcee suddenly veered left. What was she—

"Spotted Sam!" she called. Ironhide quickly scanned the area. Yes, right there!

"Sam!" Ironhide bellowed. Now they just had to get the boy to Optimus.

"Ironhide!" the weapons expert heard the teen shout back. The black mech closed in on Sam's location as Arcee stopped in front of the boy.

"Follow us to the pillars," she explained shortly. "We'll take you to," Ironhide felt a sudden flare on his sensors, "Optimus." Ironhide whirled around, his cannons blazing. Three Decepticons had just appeared, two on his right and one massive one to his left. The mech mentally berated himself for letting his guard down as he opened fire on the Cons. Ironnhide didn't take cover, instead the Autobot stood his ground. He didn't want them to get near the boy. Ironhide grounded his dentas together when he heard Arcee cry out. There was no way they could escort the boy now, now with Arcee down.

"Get out, Sam!" he ordered. "Get to the pillars!" They'd take care of these Deceptiscum. Elita roared over a rusted car, her plasma rifle blazing. Her shot caught the first Con right over his spark chamber. Ironhide fired a shell at the weakened armor and the metal buckled. The dying Con stumbled back and dropped to his knees, twitching sporadically. He felt two bullets tear into his armor, but he ignored it and kept firing. He directed his fire at the second Con, who was trying to sneak up on him. A well-aimed shot took care of him. Now for the last one.

"Argh!" Ironhide turned to see Chromia being hoisted into the air by the massive Decepticon, her servos clutching his hand which was wrapped around her throat. He gave his servo a quick squeeze—Ironhide heard a **snap**—and dropped her limp frame to the ground, energon pooling from her broken neck.

Ironhide's vision went red. He knew that she was just a drone. He knew that the blue femme wasn't **really** his sparkmate. But she still looked an awful lot like his precious Chromia. And **no one** laid a digit on **his** sparkmate. The weapons specialist let out a bloodcurdling war cry and charged the grinning Decepticon. The Con fired at Ironhide, who ducked at the last second, skidding underneath the Con's massive frame. Ironhide raised his cannons and fired from underneath, targeting the gaps in the mech's armor. The Decepticon roared in pain, stumbling back. Ironhide attacked the mech's knees, effectively sweeping out his legs from underneath him.

The cumbersome Decepticon struggled to get up, but Ironhide did not let up on his berserker attack. The weapons expert lunged at the mech and brought his fist down on his helm. The Decepticon barely had time to recuperate from the jarring assault to his head before Ironhide's cannon fired at pointblank range. The Decepticon's helm exploded into tiny pieces of flaming metal. The massive frame slumped to the ground and Ironhide stepped back, admiring—with some morbid fascination—his handiwork.

He was brought out of his dying range by a strangled moan. Ironhide glanced at the now offline frame of the Chromia drone, and the graying frame of the Elita drone before hurrying over to Arcee. He bent down and was relieved to see that she was still alive. The shot she had taken hadn't been as critical as he had previously thought. The shrapnel had torn through her left side and—although it was a few feet from her spark chamber—it was still close enough to become serious. He needed to stop the leaking or else she'd run out of energon and offline. The black mech quickly performed emergency repairs that would—hopefully—hold until Ratchet could look at the femme.

* * *

**Will's POV**

Will ran past a tank, explosions shooting up everywhere. Up ahead, a young redheaded first lieutenant slid onto his side on the sand. The major recognized the man from earlier. He'd sent the lieutenant and a small unit of soldiers to scout ahead to see if Ironhide and his group had found Sam. Will jumped over the man's legs and flopped onto his belly beside him.

"What you got?" he hurriedly asked.

"I couldn't get to them, sir," the redhead answered. "They're 600 meters away and they're heading right for the pillars." Will distantly noted that Epps had slid up behind them, his walkie-talkie still in hand.

"All right," Will acknowledged, rising to his feet. "Precious cargo's coming!" He shouted to his nearby second lieutenant. Will and his soldiers continued to lay down suppressive fire, waiting for the Witwicky boy to make his appearance.

"Sam!" one of the Autobots shouted out. Will glanced up ahead and realized it was Sideswipe. The mech turned towards them. "Spotted Sam!" The prankster was suddenly thrust forward by a hit to the shoulder. Will leaned forward, straining to see though the blasts and the smoke. There! He could see Sam! His girlfriend Mikaela was with him. There was a looming shape behind them…Megatron! Will cursed upon seeing the Decepticon leader. Of course the Decepticon Leader was here. He'd mainly stayed unengaged from the battle. Will had hoped that the mech would continue to do so. But he was moving in now that Sam was in the open. They were fighting on borrowed time. They needed to get Sam to Optimus **now**! Megatron let loose a volley of shots. Sam and Mikaela hit the ground to avoid the blasts.

"Alright let's go!" Will ordered. "Come on!" he waved at his chosen small unit of soldiers.

"2-2 covering fire," the major heard his second lieutenant call over the comm. "Two civilians, 12 o'clock!" Will led his team, Epps and Ricky flanking him, along with two other soldiers.

"Cover for us!" Will snapped out the order as he passed by the group of soldier nearest to the pillars. Will pumped his legs as he raced towards Sam who was waving his hand in the air, shouting for their attention.

"Hold the air strike!" Epps ordered into the walkie-talkie to Will's right. "We're rescuing civilians!" Will and his sergeant broke off from their unit and took cover behind a crumbling wall. Ricky and the others took cover behind a nearby pillar.

"Keep firing!" Will shouted. Finally, **finally**, they started making some progress. Decepticons started dropping, largely in part because of the firing tanks. Falling pillars threatened to entomb Megatron. The two teenagers were sprinting towards Will now. "Come on!" he shouted, holding out his hand. Almost there! "Mikaela!" He pulled her in behind the wall. "Come on! Get in here!" he shouted at Sam, the whole reason they were in this warzone in the first place. "Look who showed up," he couldn't help but say once Sam was safely behind the wall. They finally had Sam with them. It was about time. "You better have a good reason for us to be here," he growled. If he was going to get his ass chewed out by his superiors, it was going to be for a damn good reason.

"Where's Optimus?" was the first thing the boy asked.

"He's right over there," Will pointed to the covered Prime as enemy fire caused the white sand to exploded skywards, "across the courtyard."

"I got to get to him right now." Will's head snapped back to the teen.

"Not with an air strike coming," he said in his commander tone. But Sam would not take no for an answer.

"I have to get to him right **now**," the boy repeated, a feverish look in his eye. Will glanced at the sock that Sam was clutching tightly. Was that it? A sock? That's what the boy thought could bring back Optimus? Will wondered what was inside the sock. It seemed difficult to believe, but Sam had proved himself before. He deserved the benefit of the doubt. A grating noise caught Will's attention. The major glanced around the wall before rounding on the two teens.

"Go. Back, back, back, back. Go!" he hissed, keeping his voice low. A giant Cybertronian loomed over them, screeching something. The four pressed into the corner of their shelter, hoping to avoid detection.

"Incoming!" Will suppressed a groan. What now?! Clanging metal could be heard in the sky. "Stick the landing!" The ground suddenly shook as a massive object collided into the earth. Will felt like his teeth were rattling inside his mouth. A larger Decepticon closed in on their location. Before Will could even consider firing at the Con, it pulled out a sword looking weapon and charged the other small Decepticon. "Behold the glory of Jetfire!" And it sliced the Con cleanly in half. What the heck was going on? Sam must have noticed his confusion.

"That's Jetfire. He's an Autobot!" he whispered. Jetfire didn't let up.

"Now let me show you how we brought the pain in my day!" he took the Con's head and kicked it off in a shower of sparks. Will suddenly heard a sickeningly familiar tunneling sound. Seconds later, a large metal body launched out of the ground and over their shelter. Will pressed even harder into the wall. It was the large scorpion, the one that had pursued them in the desert while stationed in Qatar. The reason he was caught up in all this. The metal scorpion launched itself at the former Decepticon, ripping out his insides.

Will winced in sympathy as the old bot pulled out the Con and slammed it against the wall. The Con did not give up. It tunneled back into the old bot and—this time—when he was pulled out he pulled something important looking out with him. The metal scorpion screeched again before charging the fallen bot. But the large jet—sprawled on the ground—raised his fist and smashed the scorpion's head. Will felt a smug sense of satisfaction, knowing that Con wouldn't be bothering anyone ever again. "I'm too old for this crap," he heard the former Con mutter.

"Okay," Will shifted his position. "We're gonna make a break through the B's on my command, okay?" he looked at the two teens who were staring back at him. "You guys stick **with** me, you understand? You **stay** on my ass." He was not losing these two. Not after he'd just lost Jai—

"I hope these F-16s got good aim," Epps muttered.

"Yeah?" the major asked conversationally as he prepared to sprint. "Why is that?"

"I told them to hit the orange smoke," the sergeant responded. Will's shoulders slumped and he glanced to his right.

"You mean that orange smoke?" he asked. It was only a few feet away, and the wind was blowing it their way.

"It wasn't my best toss, okay?" Epps replied. Will glared at the man for stating the obvious.

"Run!" They charged through the orange smoke, sprinting towards the safe area.

"Incoming!" Epps shouted the warning, for any who didn't have a radio.

"Come on!" Will grabbed Mikaela's hand—and dragged her along—when he realized she couldn't run as fast as him. Explosions lit up behind them. They were almost there! He could see Ratchet's frame in the distance. All of a sudden, he saw a white flash of movement. He glanced over to see Sam breaking away from their group. No! He had told the kid to stick with him! He'd been crystal clear! "Sam!" he shouted, despite knowing it would do not good. The kid was determined to reach Optimus. It was at that moment that Will's heart plummeted. Behind the smoke and behind Sam—somehow—was Megatron. He could feel the heat from all the explosions caused by the airstrike. He and Epps hit the ground, the major dragged Mikaela to the ground as well. From his prone position on the white hot sand, Will watched with baited breath as the Decepticon leader aimed and fired at the boy. Sam was thrown into the air like a ragdoll and landed yards away, rolling limply. Seconds passed and the teen didn't move. No.

"Sam!" Mikaela screamed, trying to claw her way towards the still teen and stand at the same time. Will grabbed her, explosions were still hitting the ground. They needed to wait to approach the boy, otherwise they'd be hit with the crossfire. Fire was concentrated on the snarling Decepticon leader. Megatron was eventually pushed back and—after only a few moments of hesitation—he turned tail, transformed, and flew away. Mikaela took advantage of Will's distraction and broke away from his grip.

"Hold your fire!" he shouted, so the crazed girl wouldn't get hit. He chased after her and slid to Sam's side. "Stay back!" he ordered. He didn't need her aggravating the critical injuries the teen was likely to have.

"Sam!" she screeched, clawing desperately to get to her boyfriend.

"Mikaela!" Will pulled her away. "Stay back!" The major leaned over the boy, assessing the damage. He was only half-aware of his surroundings. Sam, he looked…oh God…

"—cking do something!" Mikaela shouted at him on the other side of the boy's body. Will immediately began to administer emergency CPR. One, two, three…The sound of helicopter blades cut the air. Will leaned over the boy's mouth, listening for any sign that he was breathing, any sign of life. But he found none. No breath caressed his cheek, there were no sounds in the back of his throat, no moving chest. Will slowly lifted his gaze to Mikaela, who watched him silently. He opened his mouth, but no words would come out. He just couldn't bare it. But his eyes must have said it all. He knew that she knew. No unnecessary words were needed. Will briefly took in his surroundings and realized a group of military dressed men were hurrying towards them. He realized that Epps must have called in an emergency paramedics unit.

"Come on, you got to move," he told Mikaela, prying her off the teen's unmoving body. "You got to move, come on." The paramedics wouldn't be able to help the boy if she was clinging to him. They gathered around him, readying their equipment.

"We got no pulse. Starting CPR!"

"I have to see my kid!" Will's head snapped up at the yell, seeing a middle age man being held to the ground by one of his NEST soldiers. "I got a son..." he struggled in the soldier's grip.

"Sammy!" a nearby red-haired woman struggled to get to the teen, but she was being pinned down by the redhead lieutenant. "Sam!" Will realized with a sinking feeling that the two were Sam's parents. What where they even doing here? Their cries to their son cut through Will's heart, as well as their pleading looks of desperation. They were the frantic looks of a parent, denying the reality that their child was dead.

It was then that Will remembered what he had witnessed earlier that day. Had it really been only hours ago that he had witnessed the explosion of the cargo plane with his adopted daughter onboard? Will's gaze drifted away from the heartbreaking sight of the two anxious parents. The yellow scout, Bumblebee, knelt in the sand. His baby blue optics shown with unshed tears. _Can they even cry?_ he found himself wondering. The other Autobots gathered around in silence. Ironhide stood with a cross look on his face, his servo clutching his abdomen. Ratchet had stopped tending to Sideswipe's shoulder wound, and Jolt—although usually aloof—even seemed saddened by the boy's sudden death. Jazz stood next to the blue medic apprentice, a frown on his face. It was so strange to see such a serious expression on the—usually grinning—saboteur's face. And there was Prowl. Even the stoic SIC had a small disappointed frown.

"Clear. Ready to shock." Will grabbed Mikaela, keeping her out of the paramedics' way. She latched onto him with an iron grip. He recognized her need to anchor herself to something, something that would keep her from sinking into the pit of despair. He held her, even though he was losing feeling in his legs. "Clear! Ready to shock. One, two, three." Sam's body convulsed upwards from the force of the shock, but fell back to the ground lifelessly. No! Will clenched his teeth. He did not come all this way—**lose his daughter**—for **nothing**!

"Do it again!" Will commanded, unwilling to give up, though deep down he knew it was hopeless. No one survived such a blast. The paramedics tried again and again. But there was no change. They shook their heads, accepting what no one else was able to accept. Will leaned back, releasing his grip on Mikaela.

"No!" the girl let out a heart wrenching screech. She dragged herself to Sam's side and leaned over him, gently holding his face in her hands. "Okay, listen to my voice. I love you and I need you." Will closed his eyes. It could't just end this way. Not like this. "Please. Please, come back to me. Sam, please! I love you!" With everything that had happened, the major didn't even realize that was the first time he'd heard her say those words. Will bowed his head. Optimus was still dead, so was Jaime, and now Sam. He glanced down and saw the—now open—sock that the teen had been carrying. Black sparkling sand ran through his fingers. Sand? How was that supposed to bring the Prime back? Will hummed in thought. Maybe they could still try using the sand on Optimus?

"Sam!" Will glanced over at Mikaela, her tone of surprise catching his attention. What was she—Oh my god. Sam was **alive**! His eyes were open, he was talking, and he was **moving**! How was he even breathing? The boy had been **dead**. For **at least** five minutes! And now he was…Will felt hope swell in his chest. And now they could bring back Optimus! They still had a chance!

Moments later the boy was standing, a bright glowing metal object in hand. What was that? Will glanced down and noticed that most of the black sand he'd seen earlier had disappeared. The boy was soon limping up the Prime's frame. He positioned himself on the Autobot leader's chest plates before thrusting the metal object downwards. A blue light raced down the mech's frame. Seconds passed and—for an agonizing second—Will wondered if it hadn't worked. But his—and everyone else's—fears were put to rest when Optimus moved. He coughed some dirt up before rising, the tarp that had been covering him was pulled back by the wind. Will grinned upon seeing the Autobot leader's massive frame alive once more.

"Boy," Optimus spotted Sam. "You returned for me."

"A living Prime!" Jetfire called somewhere from behind the major. "I don't believe it!" A foreign noise cut the air. A second later, and a Decepticon—the very same one that had showed itself on TV—was on top of the Prime, pushing him back into the ground. It slashed its scepter at anyone near Optimus. Everyone lost their balance due to the sudden impact, and the Con grabbed the glowing blue object from Optimus.

"My Matrix!" it growled, stomping the weak Prime into the ground a second time, before disappearing in a flash of light.

"Get up! Get up! Get up! Get up!" Sam called to the Prime, his tone striving to be encouraging, but sounding panicked. Will didn't blame him. They needed Optimus up and fighting.

"Get up, Prime!" Ironhide shouted from across the courtyard. But it was obvious by the Prime's strained and jerky movements that a fight was out of the question.

"He's turning on the machine!" Sam continued, his pitch rising. "You got to stop him! Get up!…**Optimus**!" The Autobot leader didn't even have the strength to pull his knees underneath him like before.

"Move!" Ricky's voice snapped. Will glanced at what held Ricky's attention and cursed.

"Enemy target, top of pyramid. Engage!" Epps ordered into the walkie-talkie. "Engage! Engage!"

* * *

**Jaime's POV**

Jaime let out another sigh, fidgeting in her seat on the massive cargo plane. It seemed so big and empty now that she was the only one on it. The sound of her feet tapping echoed through the hull. Jaime groaned, pushing against the back of her seat. Why couldn't she sit still? Seconds later she was on her feet, pacing around the metal interior. Borrow him? That's what Will had said. Why would they need to borrow the Prime's body? The only reason she could think of was if they had learned of a way to bring him back. Jaime stopped.

They hadn't had they? Of course, she had been asleep most of the time…They'd tell her if they had found a way to bring Optimus back…right? And why would they need to airdrop into Egypt? Was there someone waiting for them there? But who? Everyone but Bee and the twins had been—Bee and the twins! They were with Sam and Mikaela! That's what Jazz had told her. Of course. Sam must have found some way to contact Will and tell him he'd found a way to bring Optimus back. That had to be it. Jaime found herself wondering what Sam had found. It must be pretty important and powerful if it—and not her—was the only thing that could bring it back.

Jaime sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Why was she so jittery? The girl stumbled—trying to regain her balance—when the cargo plane tilted suddenly. What was going on? Jaime lashed her arm out and grabbed hold of a raised piece of metal to steady herself. She tilted her head…Was that an explosion she just heard? That couldn't be right. She knew the plane was far away from the drop site. Besides, if there was any chance of conflict—which there probably was since the Decepticons would try to prevent the Autobots and NEST soldiers from bringing Optimus back to life—Will had probably sent her to some nearby secure military base.

Jaime gulped. She heard a jet engine outside the plane, but that wasn't what had caused her sudden unease. What unnerved her was the sudden malicious intent she received from the jet. With a start, Jaime realized she was feeling the dark intent from a bond. A weak and underdeveloped—but still there—bond. The girl remembered the Primes' words and realized with a dark sense of foreboding, that it was likely a Decepticon.

It took all the girl's training to keep a lid on her emotions, for fear of broadcasting to the enemy. Why was he following this plane? Why was he targeting it? Shouldn't he be looking for Sam or the Prime? Unless, he viewed this plane as a threat? Perhaps he thought the pilots were going for reinforcements. Jaime's hand suddenly felt very clammy. If the Decepticon did view the cargo plane as a threat, there was one very likely course of action it would probably follow.

**What are you waiting for?** The Allspark's voice made Jaime jump. **Get moving!**

**And do what?** A bewildered Jaime asked. She was trapped on the plane, with nowhere to go.

**Get off this plane. **

**What?** Jaime gaped. **I can't jump off this plane! I'll die if I do.**

**You'll die if you stay on this plane,** came the Allspark's blunt response.

**B-but…I don't even have a**—Jaime's eyes landed on a nearby parachute.

**Move! You're running out of time,** the voice urged her.

**I don't even know how to put it on or operate it!** Jaime argued, but she still hurried over to the pack.

**I can help you with that.** Jaime's eyebrows furrowed.

**What do you mean**—Suddenly, the girl knew exactly what to do. When her finger brushed up against the fabric, it was as if a switch had been flipped, and knowledge assaulted her mind. She knew what it was made up of, how to strap it on, and how to operate the device.

**What did you just do?** She asked, unable to keep the awe out of her voice.

**No time for questions,** it said. **Quickly child! You must hurry! **Jaime wordlessly strapped on the parachute with extreme efficiency, her mind reeling. It was like her body was moving on autopilot as she strapped the device on. It was at that moment when Jaime realized something.

Where was Galloway? Shouldn't he be here too? He had been here on the plane earlier. She'd seen him board the aircraft. And she knew Will would not take the man into a possible warzone, no matter how much the man might have persisted. So where was he?

She remembered Epps and Ricky's grinning faces. Maybe they had thrown him out of the plane? She immediately dismissed the thought. Despite the man being a complete jerk, he was still a human being. Will wouldn't throw him out of a plane. She might—with a parachute of course—but Will wouldn't. Whatever. He wasn't here so it wasn't her problem.

**Okay,** she thought when the large parachute was secured on her small body. It was slightly uncomfortable and bulky. But the straps were tight and would hold. It would have to do. **Now what?**

**Open the door,** she was instructed. Jaime quickly hurried over to the switch. Moments later the metal door was groaning as it opened, the clear blue sky appearing. Jaime edged towards the opening and gulped. That was a really long drop.

**Go!** The Allspark commanded.

**Are…are you sure about this?** The girl hesitated. She'd never done anything like this before. This was absolutely freaking crazy! **Couldn't I just**—

**NOW!** The authority behind the order startled Jaime and the girl leapt into the sudden air. She curled into a ball, gasping for oxygen, as she plummeted towards the earth. The wind grabbed at her, tossed her around, buffeted her from side to side. Jaime clenched her teeth at the motion. She was freefalling from over ten thousand feet! Scared, the girl reached up to pull the cord, to stop her too fast descent.

**Not yet,** the Allspark cautioned her. **We can't draw his attention.**

Whose attention? Her question was answered when a jet streaked far above her, still pursuing the cargo plane. She watched in morbid fascination as the jet fired at the cargo plane. The aircraft that she had **just been on** exploded in a cloud of flame. The girl gulped. If she had waited any longer to jump…Satisfied, the jet sharply turned and rocketed away from the falling Jaime. She fell closer and closer to the earth. Her fingers twitched with the need to yank the cord, but she waited. And waited. And waited.

**Now!** Her fingers obeyed and yanked the blue cord. She heard the parachute open above her. Her body was yanked sharply, but the harness held and her descent slowed. But not enough. The ground was rushing towards her and—although she was no expert—it was coming a little too fast. Had she pulled the cord too late?

**How high up were we when I pulled the cord?** She asked uneasily.

**Roughly two thousand feet**, was the calm reply. Jaime's eyes bugged out.

**WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY? THAT'S THE MINIMUM HEIGHT FOR **_**EXPERIENCED**_** SKYDIVERS! **

**Do not fret, I calculated it perfectly. Any higher and the parachute would have caught unneeded attention. **

**Did you ever consider that I would become a red stain? **

**You will not die—**

**You don't know that!**

**Your frame is much more durable than the average human's. You will survive the landing. **

Jaime snarled at the Allspark, refusing to continue their conversation. Great, just freaking fantastic! She'd jumped out of a plane to avoid a missile just to crash into the ground. Jaime braced herself for the coming impact.

* * *

**Jazz's POV**

The silver Pontiac solstice streaked across the white sand. He'd taken off the moment the cargo plane had exploded, racing towards the falling debris. His spark raced as he desperately hoped—no, prayed—that, somehow, Jaime would be okay. She just had to be. He'd ignored Prowl's command to wait. He ignored his comrades' pings, turning his comm. link off. They stopped trying to reach him soon enough. He knew they wouldn't blame him, understanding the workings of a guardian bond. The saboteur remembered when Jaime had asked him about the guardian bond they shared. The heat had been unbearable that day on base, and almost everyone had joined in on a water fight—encouraged by the Bubble Wrap Gang of course—to cool off.

* * *

_Jaime lay on her back, stretched out on the wet hood of the Pontiac solstice. Soft jazz music drifted from the saboteur's speakers, his windows rolled down. _

"_Very funny, Jazz," the girl snorted at her guardian. _

"_Ah try," answered Jazz. _

"…_Jazz?" _

"_Yea?" _

"…_Is it…painful for a guardian to lose their charge?" she asked, still staring at the sky. Jazz couldn't help but slight tensely at the innocent question. _

"_Why do ya ask?" _

"_Well…Bumblebee looked kinda upset when Jordon dunked Sam in that water tank. Like he thought he drowned or something." _Oh yea_, Jazz remembered. Some of the guys had really gotten into the water fight. _

"_Mmm…yea…it is." Jaime rolled over onto her stomach. _

"_**Really**__ painful?" she asked. Jazz hummed in thought, considering how to explain it to the girl. She had a fairly good understanding of how bonds worked. But she didn't really think much about the guardian bond they shared, considering she shared a bond with every other bot as well. _

"'_magine, sharin' a guardian bond wit' Charlie," he explained. Jaime nodded, urging the saboteur to go on. "Now 'magined if—fo' whateva' reason, be it injury, illness, o' old age—ya lost 'im." Jaime frowned. Just the thought, he could tell, upset her. _

"_Oh, I guess that is—" _

"_Now," he cut her off, "magnify tha' by 'bout…oh…ten." _

"_What?" she jerked back. "Magnify by ten? That's….crazy! Don't you think that's a little…" _

"_Jaime," Jazz sighed, his accent becoming less pronounced. "Our species is a very…connected race. Many of the relationships we share wit' others 'as a bond, a direct link to tha' bot's very spark."_

"_Right…" she nodded. Jazz continued, trying to keep his tone light, despite the serious discussion. It didn't help that as he explained the repercussions of such a bond being broken, his processor kept on coming up with scenarios of such an event happening to Jaime. _

"_The closuh the relationship, the stronguh the bond is. A guardian bond is a really strong bond, almos' as strong as a creatuh bond, stronguh in some cases. Ya 'umans 'ave a 'igh level of empathy, but we Cybuhtronians feel more deeply. Our emotions go so much more deepuh than yor human feelin's eva' could." _

"_That's…" Jaime shook her head. "Then why even bother in the first place? Why set yourself up for so much pain?" _

"…'_cause yo'r worth it, Ah guess," Jazz murmured. Jaime grinned at him. _

"_You're such a sap," she teased. _

"_Pest," he chuckled. Jaime set her chin on the cool metal. _

"_That'd be awful though," she mumbled. _

"_Yea, so ya bettuh neva make meh go through it," Jazz teased, but his tone was also serious. _

"_I won't," she grinned. _

"_Promise?" _

"_Best Friend's honor," she murmured, drifting off to sleep with the warm sunrays caressing her back.  
_

* * *

_Come on Jaime_, thought Jazz as he practically flew over the sand, _don' go back on yor word now. Ya promised meh_. Minutes dragged by as Jazz searched for the girl. Normally he'd use the bond they shared, but she'd raised her walls before the cargo plane even exploded. He couldn't even feel her right now. Either her defenses were absolutely superb…or he was denying the inevitable. He was going on instinct right now. Calculating where the plane was when it exploded, how fast it had been moving, and so forth.

After what felt like hours, he passed the first smoldering plane part. Each time he passed by a twisted piece of metal, he paused to scan it, checking to see if Jaime was underneath it before moving on. Eventually, he ran out of leftover parts to check under. The mech was torn. He hadn't seen any sign of her body. But…would there even be anything left? Considering she'd been right in the center of the explosion? He wasn't as familiar with the limits of the human body as Ratchet. The longer he went without finding her, the more painful his spark ached. No, no, no, no, no! Where was she? She had to be here somewhere!

The saboteur was about to turn around to do another sweep—maybe he somehow missed her?—when a something caught his optic. What was that? A tarp? Jazz spun around and drove in that direction. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a rather large piece of material, with cords attached. Wait a minute! He'd seen some of the soldiers use these before. It was a parachute! It even shared the same design. Yup, there was the NEST logo. So whose was it? Jazz scanned the ground for tracks and felt his spark swell with hope before gunning his engine.

Minutes later he was approaching a small stone hut with a well nearby. It must have belonged to some kind of hermit. Jazz activated his holoform and had it jump out of the driver's door.

"Jaime?" he called, his holoform jogging towards the small shelter while his alt mode scanned the interior. There was a pause. The scrap of wood, which served as a door, slowly cracked open, a green eye peering out. Suddenly the door was flung open.

"Jazz! Oh thank God it's you! I was afraid it was someone else!" Jaime stepped out of the hut and squeezed Jazz's holoform. Jazz returned it with his own bone crushing hug.

"Jazz," she gasped. "Can't…breathe…"

"Quit yor complainin' an' let meh jus' enjoy this moment, slaggit," the holoform growled, but slightly loosened his tight hold. He heard the girl snort in amusement into his chest. His spark stopped throbbing painfully and started singing in relief. Oh thank Primus she was okay. He'd thought he'd failed her as a guardian. He would have never forgiven himself for that.

"What are you doing here?" she mumbled into his chest. "Where are the others?"

"Ah came lookin' for ya as soon as the plane 'xploded," he growled. "The othuhs are at the coordinates."

"What coordinates?" she asked, looking up at him.

"The ones tha' he was given when they called Will," the mech explained.

"…Sam." Jazz nodded. He gazed at her frazzled appearance, tilting his head to the side.

"So…Ah'm guessin' tha' was yor parachute?" She nodded. "Jumped outta the plane 'fore it was 'it?"

"Ugh, yea," she frowned. Jazz cocked an eyebrow at her response.

"I'm never doing that again," she growled. "I nearly peed my pants." And despite what had just happened, what had almost happened, he laughed. He laughed so hard that he had to hunch over to support himself.

"It's not funny," Jaime grumbled.

"Yor…yor face was jus'," Jazz gasped. The girl slouched, sulking even more.

"Seriously Jazz! I thought I was gonna splat on the ground!" Jazz stopped laughing, but the grin remained on his face.

"Aw c'mon…ya had—wha'—ten thousan' feet t' pull the cord." The girl shifted away, grumbling under her breath. "Wha'?"

"I said," she sighed, "I waited till I was closer to the ground."

"Why?" he asked. If she was really that scared, she would have instinctively opened the parachute much sooner.

"To avoid unwanted attention," she rolled her eyes.

"Starscream," Jazz growled, remembering the reason for Jaime's near-death experience. The girl nodded, not noticing the saboteur's change in behavior. She did notice, however, when killer intent began to roll off his frame in waves.

"Jazz?" she asked uncertainly. A grin stretched across his face. "What are you doing?"

"Jus' thinkin' off all the ways Ah'm gonna offline 'im," the mech answered cheerfully. She imagined of all the possibilities going through his mind. She knew how dangerous he really was. Despite his small size, Jazz was not a mech to mess with. His name made even some of the largest Decepticons falter. She almost felt bad for Starscream…almost.

Jazz glanced around before taking Jaime's shoulder and guiding her back to his waiting alt mode. His holoform disappeared and the silver sports car broke apart in a series of clicking and whirring parts.

"What is it?" Jaime asked, sensing the mech's change in mood.

"Jus' got a comm. from Prowluh," he said, once he'd finished his transformation. "Bunch of Cons landed and are givin' 'em some trouble. 'Sides, Ah don' like havin' ya out in the open like this." He lowered his servo and Jaime climbed onto it, clutching onto the closest digit as he brought the servo to his chest. He only paused a moment before his chest plates opened.

"Jazz," Jaime's eyes widened. "What are you—"

"Puttin' ya somewhere safe," he reassured her.

"In your spark chamber?!" Jazz snorted.

"Naw…I like ya Jaime, but not tha' much," he teased before explaining. "Ya see that chamber next to it?" Jaime leaned forward, peering inside.

"Yea…"

"Tha', is called a sparklin' hold. It's a chambuh used t' carry 'round sparklin's an' protect 'em. Don' give meh tha' look," he added when she leveled him with a glared. "Ah'm not sayin' tha' yo'r a sparklin' or nothin', but—righ' now—it's probably the safest place fo' ya t' be." She gave him the dirtiest look that she could muster before acquiescing.

"Fine," she grumbled before crawling into the dark chamber. "Just don't break me or anything by moving too fast." Jazz barked out a laugh.

"Don' worry 'bout it sweetspark. It's made jus' fo' tha' purpose. Ah c'n roll 'round all Ah want, an' ya'll jus' roll 'round in tha' squishy lil' chambuh."

"If I get any broken bones, I'm coming after you with Judy's baseball bat," she threatened darkly, as his chestplates closed.

"Ah 'ave no doubt," he muttered with a smile, glad to have his charge back.

* * *

_Guest: Quick! Emergency CPR! Wouldn't want you to miss the upcoming chapters :) Ah, God, I loved typing up that scene :D It's a good video to watch whenever you're low and need something to smile (or laugh) at. Thanks, but I don't have Netflix. Luckily, my friend gave me the Transformers Movie collection for my birthday (Squeeee!) So I have all three *Grins* And I tend to watch one of them at least every other week. ;D Thanks!_

_Galem: Heh, yea...Haha! Thanks. He's one of my favorite characters just because of that scene :D Yes! I totally agree! :)_

* * *

**Author's Note: Yay! Both Optimus and Jaime are back! Now the bots can quit chasing me around with death threats :) *****Ahem* Now that we are reaching the end of Revenge of the Fallen, I have some questions for you. I want to hear how you guys feel/what ideas you have, because I am somewhat undecided. For now, there are two important factors that I am unsure about. **

**One of them is Mikaela. As we all know, after Revenge of the Fallen, she leaves Sam and Sam ends up meeting and falling in love with Carly. So I'm wondering if I should bring in Carly or not. Now before you tell me how much you hate Carly and all that, I want you to think about it. First of all, Mikaela is NOT going to be cut from the story. Period. She will continue to be in the story as a female figure in Jaime's life and a friend of the bots whether she is Sam's girlfriend or not. I kinda have mixed feelings about Carly. She likes Sam for who he is, not because he has robot alien friends. And I do love Mikaela. But the main reason they got together is because they went through the events leading up to and Mission City together (because she saw a different side of Sam other than his bumbling self). Carly became his girlfriend for a different reason (at least I'm assuming so). And I feel like it would be interesting to play around with Jaime's feelings toward this new girl Sam's seeing. Regardless, I'd like to hear your opinion. Tell me what you think in a review, or a pm. I'm not asking which one you like better. I'm asking which one you think would be better suited to be his girlfriend and WHY. Be as detailed as you want! :D The second one I'll ask you guys about when it's more relevant. **

**Skids: Yo, who's Carly? **

**Mudflap: Dat sounds like a femme. **

**Hubero: *Whirls around* How did _you two_ get in here? **

**Skids: De door **

**Mudflap: Careful Skidz, don' wanna fry de poor squishy's brain. **

**Hubero: *Eye twitches* **

**Skids: 'Ey look bro! She's changin' colors! **

**Mudflap: Yo, dat's pretty coo' **

**Hubero: *Resists the urge to act rashly* You're not supposed to be in here! Didn't you read the sign. **

**Skids: Ah, we don' do much readin'**

**Hubero: It says stay out! This room is for me and the readers only. **

**Mudflap: Aw, bu we's jus' wanted ta' do the end note wit' ya. **

**Skids: Yea, 'ow come ya neva let us? **

**Hubero: Out!**

**Mudflap: But-**

**Hubero: *grabs the nearby metal bat* **

**Skids: Look bro! It's de Judy bat!**

**Mudflap: Save yo'self!**

**[The twins dash out of the room]**

**P.S. I have not forgotten about Jolt's story! I am still working on chapters. I have PAGES of material to post. The problem is, it's mostly about events happening to Jolt right before/after he joins the Autobots. Not much of when he's younger. So bare with me :) There will be some chapters of him when he's younger (so you get an idea of his personality and such) but it's mostly gonna be [spoiler alert] after Moonlight's death. Okay? Okay. **


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Yea, so, uh…I don't own any multimillion dollar companys or franchises…So I guess that means I don't own Transformers. But I own Jaime and the plot of Free Falling (and anything else you might not recognize)! :)

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed! And to also to everyone who has added this story to their favorites/alerts list! :) __Sorry if I missed someone and didn't reply! I tried to answer everyone but I'm not at my best right now..._

* * *

**Jaime's POV**

When Jazz finally let Jaime out of his sparkling hold—his _**sparkling**_ hold! How many times did she have to tell him to stop thinking of her as a bloody sparkling?—the first thing her mind registered was the blinding light that seemed to bounce off the sand and into her eyes. The second was strong arms that wrapped around her tightly, squeezing most of the oxygen out of her lungs.

"Jazz!" she rasped to her guardian, struggling to pry her assailant off. Her ears picked up Jazz's booming laughter. What the heck was so funny about her being attacked? But if Jazz wasn't worried, then maybe she wasn't being attacked? Although it sure felt like it since she could hardly move in the tight vice-like grip. She blinked her eyes, and was finally able to take in her surroundings. She was in the desert, Egypt most likely, surrounded by milling NEST soldiers and Autobots. She pulled her face away from the strong, not to mention sandy, chest her face had been pressed into.

"Will?" she squinted into her adopted father's relieved face. Relieved seemed to be a poor description. The man's face was shining brighter than the blinding sun, and his mouth grinning so wide Jaime could see every single white tooth.

"Oh God, Jaime!" his grip tightened and Jaime realized he was hugging her. Was…Was that tears in his eyes? Oh geez. He was crying. Jaime was stunned. She'd never seen the man cry before. And it wasn't just a fear tears trickling down his face. No, his cheeks were streaked with them, his eyes were red, and he couldn't seem to stop sniffling. Okay, what happened? Why was he acting like she just came back from the dead—Oh. Understanding dawned on her face. She glanced at Jazz and he nodded an affirmative. Jaime finally lifted her arm and returned the hug, realizing the man just needed to hold her, convince himself that she was still alive and standing in front of him. She hadn't even considered that Will or the other NEST soldiers would witness the cargo plane exploding.

Her attention was caught by two nearby soldiers and, upon closer inspection, realized it was Epps and Ricky. Ricky's eyes were red rimmed as well, as if he had shed a few tears, and he was grinning at her, so obviously happy to see her. Epps was beaming in her direction before he turned away slightly to rub his eyes. Ricky noticed Epps trying, and failing, to inconspicuously wipe a tear from his eye.

"Are you crying?" Ricky voiced his observation with disbelief. Although Epps often showed emotions such as amusement or annoyance, he rarely showed negative emotions, such as tears.

"Naw man," he sniffed a little. "I just got a little something in my eye." Ricky snorted and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay Epps," he smiled at his buddy. "We're all relieved to see her." Jaime glanced at some of the other nearby soldiers and was surprised to see them all grinning at her, glad to see her back. It was touching to see how many had apparently missed her. She hadn't realized until that moment how just how many of the NEST soldiers viewed her as part of their team, their pack. Sure she didn't ever go on any mission with them or go into combat. But she lived with them. She'd laughed with them. And she'd shared experiences with them. And somehow, without even realizing it, she'd formed bonds with them. Different than the bonds she shared with the Autobots, but bonds nonetheless.

Will finally pulled away, but didn't let go. His eyes seemed to take in her appearance, memorizing how she looked.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You're not hurt are you? Injured?"

"I'm fine," she placated him with a gentle smile. Her heart swelled upon hearing the concern in his voice and seeing his worried expression. She didn't _**want**_ Will to be stressed, but…it felt good to have someone so concerned about her wellbeing. It made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. A feeling she hadn't even realized that she missed before meeting Will. The ground shook slightly as something large—one of the Autobots most likely—approached from behind her.

"Jaime?" The girl froze, her eyes widened to the size of saucers. She recognized that deep baritone voice. The beautiful regal tone she had feared she'd never hear again. Will let out a chuckle upon seeing her frozen expression and finally released her from his hold. Jaime took a deep breath and slowly turned, her eyes shut. She wanted to see him, crouched in front of her like usual, oh she wanted to see him alive and well so bad. But she remembered that just a few short hours ago he had been dead, cold and unmoving. "Jaime?" the voice spoke again. "Are your optics unwell?"

Jaime's breath caught in her throat. She'd heard his voice again! She could even feel—it felt so real! Surely it wasn't her imagination?—the way his breath would gently tickle her whenever he'd talk to her. Unable to bear it any longer, she cracked her eyelids open. Upon seeing the bright blue and red giant in front of her, her wide eyes opened all the way.

"Optimus!" she beamed at the crouched Autobot Leader. His face lowered even more, now within her reach. He smiled gently at her and opened his mouth plates to reply.

**Crack! **

The Prime blinked his optics in surprise, and quickly pulled his head away.

"Jaime?" his regal tone bordering indignation. "Why did you do that?"

"That's for scaring the crap outta me!" She growled. "Dang it Optimus! Don't you ever do that again, or so help me, I'll bring you back online just to offline you myself!"

"I…." the Prime vented softly. "I am sorry that I was unable to fulfill my promise Jaime." And now he was making that pathetic kicked puppy dog face that only he could pull off without looking utterly ridiculous.

"Just don't make a habit out of it," she rolled her eyes good naturedly. She lifted her hand to rest it on his metal cheek, but a painful tremor stopped her. She gritted her teeth and immediately let her hand return to her side.

"Jaime?" Optimus' worried tone caught her attention, most likely catching her flinch.

Jaime ignored the mech, no longer looking up at him but off to the side. Her mouth was in a thin line and her eye twitching while she resisted the sudden urge to wildly hop around bending over her throbbing fist.

"Freaking barnacle covered fish nuggets," she moaned, caving in and gently cradling her fist to her body which was trembling painfully. Ok, she had to admit to herself. Punching a giant _**metal**_ robot was probably one of the stupidest things she'd ever done.

"Jaime?" the Prime hunched over her, concern evident in his tone. "What is the matter?"

"Your face," she answered, unable to repress the snarl, "just _**broke**_ my _**fingers**_." His optics scanned her trembling fingers before quickly glancing in Ratchet's direction. The CMO paused in his rather heated discussion—or was he repairing the mech?—with Ironhide, and met his leader's gaze. He nodded once before finishing his task then making his way to the girl.

Optimus turned back to the silently fuming girl, amusement shining in his bright blue optics.

"Perhaps you should learn from this experience and refrain from hitting things more resilient than your fist," his mouth twitched dangerously.

"Don't you dare start laughing Optimus Prime," she threatened.

"I am not laughing," came his immediate reply, his face schooling into a neutral expression. Jaime grumbled incoherently. True to his word, he was not laughing, externally. His twinkling optics were another matter. Not to mention the mirth she was receiving from his bond, and the others.

* * *

Jaime stared. She wasn't looking at anything in particular. Her eyes didn't take in the bright desert landscape. She wasn't really seeing what her eyes were looking at. Instead, her focus was turned inwards. She'd never been near a battlefield before. Sure the battle was over in Egypt, she wasn't in any danger. But…she could feel the death. It was a disgustingly cold presence that tried to grip her. It was weaker than when she had felt it from Optimus' bond, so she wasn't drowning in its clutches. But she could feel, from the underdeveloped bonds, the horrendous pain from dying Decepticons all around her. She could feel their last moments until their feelings grew scant, then nonexistent as their sparks extinguished in silent flickers.

It was disturbing. Yes, the feeling of death and the dying Decepticons was disturbing. But that wasn't what bothered her. Since she'd known the Autobots, she'd always viewed the Decepticons in a negative light. They'd been portrayed as monsters, heartless dark and twisted creatures of the night. They'd been emotionless evil demons to her. But now…she could tell that wasn't the case. Some of the dying Decepticons were angry, and thrashed liked wild animals, fighting till the very end until their spark could take no more. But others…she could feel the fear of some, their fear of the unknown. What would happen to them when they offlined? Would they be missed at all? Or would they be easily forgotten?

It was easy to hate someone you didn't know, an unknown or faceless enemy. Now…Jaime sighed as self-doubt settled itself in her heart. How could she continue hating the Decepticons as a whole when they weren't the emotionless beasts she had always made them out to be? Okay yes, most of them gave off evil and bloodthirsty vibes…but…not all of them. It gave the girl a different view. They really were all Cybertronians, the same race. It was like the human race. Not all humans were bad. Some chose good and other chose evil. The Decepticons felt emotions just like the Autobots. She was reminded of what the Primes told her.

"**Your ability will allow you to help bridge the gap between the self-proclaimed Autobots and Decepticons." **The Primes' words seemed to echo around her as the hot desert wind blew.** "Jaime, you are the key to bring them peace. That…is your destiny" **Jaime let out another sigh, shifting on her feet. So just how was she supposed to do that?

"What's wrong with ya?" Ironhide's voice caught Jaime's attention, and her head snapped to his direction. "Did one of those Deceptiscum hurt ya?" Jaime frowned at his assumption. He meant well she was sure, but it was this very mindset that would make her apparent destiny difficult.

She turned her head away and stared out at the desert like before. She didn't say anything for a few minutes, unsure how she should answer. After careful consideration, she finally settled on one.

"Not everything is their fault," she murmured softly. She could feel Optimus' interested gaze settle on her. Ironhide's engine sputtered and he crossed his arms to keep his agitated cannons from on-lining.

"What? Not their faul—" he snorted at her and shook his helm angrily. "They're the ones who started this whole fragging war in the first place!" How was she supposed to bridge the gap between the Decepticons and the Autobots? Jaime sighed. She definitely had her work cut out for her. One thing was for sure. If she wanted to change their actions—so that they no longer fought the moment they laid optics on each other—she'd have to change their attitudes.

"It takes two to start a war," she gently corrected, eyes glued to the horizon. She glanced at the silent Prime out of the corner of her eye. He was looking at her with a thoughtful expression on his faceplates.

Ironhide opened his mouth to answer with a retort, but Optimus rested a calming servo on the weapons specialist's shoulder.

"Jaime speaks with a wisdom beyond her years," his charismatic tone carried, catching the attention of both nearby Autobots and NEST soldiers. "I too look forward to the day when we can put this war behind us. But that will never happen if we are not willing to forgive past misdeeds," Optimus gazed at ever one of his soldiers, "or take responsibilities for our mistakes."

Ironhide's arms dropped back to his sides and gazed in the distance, as if contemplating the Prime's words, before giving a small nod.

"Doesn't mean I'm gonna suddenly go soft on those Cons, though," he muttered. Jaime's mouth twitched. She couldn't help it. It was just _**so**_ Ironhide.

* * *

_Galem: Ha! He's a sly bot alright. Yea, they just go so well together :) It's almost criminal :D_

_Guest: Glad you liked it! Er...please don't do that. Otherwise you'll miss all the future chapters! :)_

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait, but…in other news…I'M DONE! OH SWEET JESUS I'M DONE WITH MY ONLINE SUMMER CLASS! Just finished taking the final this morning, so yea. I wanted to get this up today as a celebration. Sorry this chapter is so ridiculously short but we're gonna be skipping a little (just a tiny bit really) in the next chapter. We are finally done with Revenge of the Fallen. Now I get a huge 3 year time gap till Dark of the Moon, Mwahaha! *Cracks knuckles* I have so many little twists and turns planned for our little Jaime! And Charlie (No, I have not forgotten about our little Charlie boy)! And the Lennoxes! And well, just about everyone really. Not to mention our soon to be resident *glances back and forth slyly* former Decepticon prisoner…So leave a review my little darling readers! Now if only my stupid sinuses would stop acting up! God, I can't stop sneezing! Allergies _SUCK_! So I could really use some reviews to make my night *hint hint nudge nudge***

**Hubero: *in a sing song voice* Hatchet! Oh Hatchet!...Where areeee youuuuu? **

**[Loud banging can be heard] **

**Ratchet: *Stomps in, a wrench in each servo, with optics blazing* WHO SAID THAT? **

**Hubero: Meep!**

**Ratchet: *Points a wrench threateningly* You! **

**Hubero: Hmm, on second thought, maybe running would help my sinuses? **

**Ratchet: *Charges* Come here you pit spawn organic! **

**Hubero: *Sprinting away* No! Hatchet! Have mercy! **

**Ratchet: *Bellows* Stop using that misnomer! Who told you about that?! Was it Jazz?! I swear I'm gonna take that half-bit fragger and stuff a wrench up his *Voice fades out as he pursues the author***


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not, nor shall I ever (no I am not being a pessimist, I am a realist. It will never happen. No matter how much I wish it...sob!...) own Transformers. But I DO completely own Jaime. She is MINE! XD

_Thanks to everyone who has been following this story and/or added it to their favorite's list! :) And thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! And thank you to everyone for the heartfelt/sympathetic comments about my sucky allergies. You guys are DA BOMB! :D_

And in case you forgot, anything in Cybertronian looks like this: **/Cybertronian/**

* * *

**Jaime's POV **

She hadn't really planned it, not really. She'd never even really **_considered_ **it. Why would she? She'd never done anything like it before. But the offhand comment had brought the matter to her attention.

It was three days after the Battle of Egypt, and they were finally back at Diego Garcia. Although, whether it would remain their permanent base was being discussed by the higher ups. Apparently, they had begun to realize the negative repercussions of having the Autobots so far away. After witnessing the destruction in Egypt, they'd want to keep a closer eye on their 'allies' no doubt.

But all of the Autobots had been idling in the cool main hangar, enjoying the calm, taking full advantage of having to do absolutely nothing. Jaime had been passing by, planning on spending the afternoon with Maggie, when she'd overheard Ironhide gripping.

"Three cycles! It's been three cycles, and I still have that slagging sand all over me!" he griped.

"We are well aware Ironhide," Ratchet snapped. "You are not the only one with sand all over your frame."

"Lucky you," Sideswipe whined. "I got it all sticking to my undercarriage."

"Such are the consequences of choosing such an inefficient alt-form for terrains other than pavement," came Prowl's cool reply. Jaime's gaze flickered to the giant red and blue semi parked in the corner. A sigh came from the truck as it sunk lower on its axles. Apparently this wasn't the first time this conversation had come up.

"Why don't you guys just visit the car wash?" Jaime asked. "I'm sure one of the soldiers could fly you over to the mainland and take you to a car wash and get rid of all that sand from Egypt."

The Autobots all shivered in sync. Jaime raised an eyebrow.

"Nuh uh," said Skids

"Ain't _**no way**_ we's goin' near one of dem things," Mudflap added.

"They sound…dangerous…from what we've heard," Arcee answered the girl's unspoken question. It finally clicked in her mind.

"Ironhide," she frowned at the black mech.

"Those blue rubber tentacles kept pounding my frame!" Ironhide defended himself. "And it kept dumping water on me! Like I was going to sit there and take it!" Jaime face-palmed, remembering the day Sarah had taken Ironhide to the nearby car wash. To say it had not gone well would be an understatement. The owner had threatened to sue the blonde if she visited his establishment again after finding unexplainable large amounts of damage to his business, not to mention the dozen of NEST soldiers that had visited the next day demanding he keep the incident all hush hush.

"You know you got to get that washed off right?" Jaime asked. "You can't let that sit on there."

"Yea, we know tha'," Jazz grumbled. Jaime looked at each Autobot, none of them taking action. Jaime groaned and spun on her heel, marching out of the hangar.

And so, that was how she had gotten to where she was now. She wondered if any of the other NEST soldiers had ever washed the bots frames when they got dirty after missions. _Guess not,_ she mused. Jaime glanced at the waiting line of Autobots, waiting their turn for the girl to wash their frame.

The girl had left the hangar and changed into an old pair of shorts and shirt, and gathered her supplies. She'd left the soap, bucket and hose outside, and commanded all the Autobots to come outside, stating that if they were too lazy to do anything about it then she would wash them herself.

"We can't have your gears locking up in the middle of battling a Decepticon can we?" she'd asked with a smirk. Immediately, Ironhide had gunned his engine and skidded in front of her, demanding that she wash him first.

Jaime washed the black truck with the old rag she'd found, scrubbing off any sand or other debris she found on the frame. As she washed each alt-form, she got better and faster taking less and less time to wash, rinse, and dry. After she had finished Skids and Mudflap, she moved on to Ratchet. It was nice, being able to spend time with all of the Autobots—except Bumblebee, who was back with Sam in the United States. She hoped the guardian was getting a car wash himself; the yellow scout deserved it.

When it became apparent that Skids and Mudflap's goofing off was about to make Ironhide blow a gasket, Jaime suggested playing a game. She moved onto washing Arcee and explained how to play the Train game. It was a car game her mother had taught her, and she and her parents had played it in the car, while on vacation, many times before. She finished drying off Arcee—since she was a motorcycle and the smallest bot there, she took only a quarter of the time—and started washing Jolt by the time everyone had asked all their questions and understood how the game worked. An endless cycle of words filled the air as Jaime washed Sideswipe, Prowl and Jazz. Jazz took longer than the others because—the jerk—he'd teased her and tried to shake her off his frame as she was trying to reach his hood.

"Dang it Jazz!" Jaime snapped, giving his silver hood a good hard smack, "If you don't stop, I'll just leave you as you are and won't rinse all this soap off!"

She was currently giving Prowl's grill a good scrub. Jeez, did his cruiser ever get washed? Did the workaholic ever take care of himself? She glared at him every few minutes making it clear that she did not approve.

"John Wilkes Booth!" Skids shouted. The Train game had morphed into a competition (between Jaime, Sideswipe, Jazz, the twins, Arcee and Ironhide)—who could come up with the most random or opposite of the previous word.

"Hairnet," came Ironhide's smug reply.

"Er, Typhoid," said Mudflap.

"Dorks," was Arcee's word.

"Sideswipe," came Sideswipe's reply.

She didn't mean it. Oh god, she really didn't. It was a mistake. She wished she could have taken it back. But she'd only been half paying attention to the game as she scrubbed Prowl's hood. And really…the total opposite of Sideswipe?

"Sunst—" Jaime began before she realized her mistake. "Flower, Sunflower," she hastily corrected. The silence was suffocating. Jaime froze, refusing to move her body even an inch, although, on the inside she was heavily berating herself for letting that slip. _Stupid!_ she yelled at herself. _How could you be so stupid?_ Jaime's eyes were glued to the black and white hood, unable to look at Sideswipe. She could feel his surprise, then grief. Oh God, what was wrong with her?

"Reef," Prowl finally broke the silence. Jaime exhaled softly, and continued her task with new vigor.

"Friendship," said Optimus, deep regal voice filling the air.

"Paternity," Ratchet threw in. The game continued in this manner, but the lighthearted attitude had been broken. Jaime remained in the game, but it was obvious to the others that she was distracted, no longer into it. Her voice grew softer and softer until she stopped voicing words all together and silently dropped out of the game.

* * *

Jaime was crouched in front of Optimus, drying off his grill, when she paused in her actions. She tilted her head curiously.

"Jaime?" Optimus asked, noticing her change in behavior. "Is all well?"

The girl didn't answer, appearing to be listening intently. But she wasn't listening. She was waiting, waiting to see if what she had felt—or maybe imagined—wasn't just a fluke. Moments passed until she felt it again, stronger this time. Excitement coursed through her body like wildfire. A wide grin slowly formed on her face. She eagerly reached back, responding.

"Jaime?" it was Prowl this time. The bots became worried when she hadn't responded to Optimus. She _**always**_ answered him. It seemed as if she hadn't heard him. "Jaime," Prowl repeated, louder this time. The SIC's strong voice broke through Jaime's thoughts. She refocused on her surroundings for only a moment before jumping to her feet.

"He's here!" She announced with great enthusiasm, delighted grin stretched as wide as her cheeks would allow. "He's finally here!"

"Who's 'ere?" Jazz asked, silver alt-form rolling forward curiously, feeling her excitement flood his bond and filling him as if it were his own.

"He's coming!" she crowed and took off towards the main hangar—barely taking the time to toss her dirty rag in the sudsy bucket.

"Yo, wait up!" Skids called.

"Yea, where's you goin'?" Mudflap asked.

"Come _**on**_ you guys!" She shouted over her shoulder, pace never wavering. "Hurry up already!" The bots took a few nanoseconds to exchange looks before speeding after her.

* * *

Six hours later, Optimus, Prowl, Jazz—with Jaime riding along, Ratchet and Sideswipe, were racing along the dirt roads of Italy. Jaime ignored the annoyance she felt—she had just washed them dangit!—instead focusing on her growing excitement. After a quick flight over in a cargo plane, there were going to see the two Autobot arrivals that had just entered Earth's atmosphere.

It might have taken longer, but Jaime convinced Optimus that the arrivals were both Autobots, swearing that they were allies. Sideswipe was only along because she had insisted that the silver prankster come along. The Autobot leader had pressed her, trying to discern her reasoning. But she'd only told him—smile still in place—that, "it's important." He left it at that, trusting her to tell him if needed. Jaime bounced in her seat, eyes scanning the horizon, looking for any sign of the two new Autobots.

A storm had recently passed over Italy, and satellites had not picked up any incoming objects. But Jaime hadn't been surprised. Avoiding detection _**was**_ one of the incoming Autobots specialties after all. Jaime used her two new and strengthening bonds to determine where they Autobots had landed. She pointed her finger in the direction that the two new bonds felt the strongest, and Jazz relayed the information to Optimus and Prowl. The train of Autobots, there were no NEST soldiers along with this trip—the men were spread thin after Egypt and Will was busy looking through files for new recruits, wound their way through the mountains. They were near the northern border of Italy, far away from any nearby cities. That was good. No prying eyes to see giant metal beings that had fallen from the sky.

It was a wonder—Jaime thought—that people hadn't realized by now that giant alien robots lived on earth. There had been enough leaked videos, **_especially_ **after Egypt. Granted, most of them had been extremely poor quality, and caught only snippets, not enough to really understand what exactly the video was even recording. She guessed it just spoke volumes of the skill of the NEST staff specifically hired to handle such problems, and their effectiveness.

"There!" Jaime pointed to the side. In the distance, she could see two metal beings who seemed to be scanning their surroundings and on guard. One of them turned its head to the other and pointed to the approaching envoy of Autobots. Jaime bounced up and down on her seat in giddy anticipation. She was going to meet him! She was finally going to meet him! The Autobots stopped and transformed, except for Jazz, who remained in his vehicle mode.

Now that she was closer, Jaime was able to see the subtle differences between the two mechs, they both were **_definitely_ **mechs. The first one—the one that had spotted them first—was a helm shorter, but his body frame was more lithe than the other bot. His frame appeared graceful, built for stealth and sneaking. He viewed the Autobots with caution, yet his proud helm was held high. He seemed to have a certain…presence…around him that Jaime couldn't quite put her finger on.

The second mech was slightly taller, and bulkier. He was definitely a fighter, maybe even a front liner judging by his sharp and dangerous looking armor. His permanent scowled seemed to be etched on his faceplates. His servo digits twitched as if he wanted to cross his arms, but didn't want to have his servos occupied in case of an attack.

Sideswipe eyed the front liner with sharp optics before they widened in realization. He leaped at the new arrival, arms stretching towards the unkown mech.

**/Sun—ergh!/ **Sideswipe's pedes were swept from underneath him and the unknown mech pinned him to the ground, a sharp lethal looking dagger hovering just above his neck cables. **/Ow.../**

**/Stand down/** Optimus commanded. The mech glanced at the Prime, looked down at Sideswipe, before glancing back up to the tense Prime.

**/I'm not the one who attacked first/** His voice was deep and smooth. It was beautiful, like creamy caramel. But it held a certain note—a wildness—as if an untamed animal lurked underneath the surface waiting to pounce if it felt threatened.

Sideswipe shifted underneath the mech, effectively drawing his attention once more.

**/Idiot!/** he laughed. **/I wasn't attacking you!/** The mech frowned at him, confused.

**/Then…why…/** he tilted his helm curiously, as a predator would analyze a strangely familiar creature that it had encountered a long time ago.

**/What? Really? You don't recognize me?/ **Sideswipe asked, a slag-eating grin appeared on his faceplates. **/That really hurts mech/** The mech's gaze sharpened.

**/Sideswipe?/ **

**/Yes, oh dear brother of mine?/ **

**/You fragger/ **he muttered, metal dagger slipping back into its subspace pocket, but helped his twin off the ground regardless. **/Don't know what I was thinking. I'm finally free of you and my processor seems to be under the impression that I miss you/** He shook his helm. Sideswipe's wide grin stretched even further. **/Primus knows why…/**

**/Awww Sunny!/** Sideswipe latched onto his twins with a vice-like grip. **/I missed you too!/ **Jaime watched on with a smile. Sideswipe's goofy smile never left his faceplates. But she could feel his elation, his excitement, his pure joy. Words just couldn't explain the true happiness she was receiving from _**both**_ of the reunited twins.

**/Don't call me that, slagger!.../** Sunstreaker scowled. Sideswipe seemed to snuggle even closer. Whether it was because he was so happy or just to annoy his twin, Jaime couldn't tell. Perhaps it was both. /**Watch it glitch head, or you'll chip the paint/ **Sunstreaker snapped irritably, but he didn't push Sideswipe away. Satisfied that it was safe, Jazz transformed into his bipedal form and carefully propped Jaime on his shoulder. Sideswipe finally ended the embrace, but he didn't pull away. They both remained in physical contact, as if even separation of mere inches was unthinkable.

Sideswipe's entire focus was on his twin, chatting with an enthusiasm Jaime had never witnessed. Sunstreaker's optic ridges furrowed as he seemed to contemplate something. His gaze wandered from Sideswipe, who he had been studying thoughtfully, searching for something until they settled on Jaime. His expression seemed to darken as realization flitted across his faceplates.

* * *

_Galem: I've never broken any bones before *knock on wood* but even I can imagine how painful it would be to break your hand (with the added embarrassment that it was caused by punching Optimus' face XD). Heh, I won't steal your awesome word. Yes, well, being connected to a centuries old presence—the Allspark—will do that to you I imagine :)_

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey there all! So sorry for the long wait but, as you know, school is starting soon. So I gotta get all packed up and all that brilliant stuff. YES! SUNNY IS FINALLY ON EARTH! YAY! *Throws confetti like crazy* I know this chapter is kinda short but I thought Sunny and Jaime's first official meeting deserved to be a chapter by itself. Uh, I know the whole carwash thing is really overdone, but honestly, after being in Egypt, they would all need a serious wash. And I just can't see it as something most of the NEST soldiers would do. Besides, this was mostly a filler chapter to give Sunny boy some time to travel to earth…and his buddy. Can anyone name the unnamed mech? :D**

**Also, another reason I haven't updated recently is because I've also been busy with a new…pastime…of mine. I GOT NEW ROLLERBLADES! SQUEEE! *Ehem…Regains composure***

**Hubero: So! Please leave a review, tell me what you thought of this chapter, what you're looking forward to, etc. Um…think that's about it…*Turns head* Anything to add? **

**Jaime: Nope. Ready? **

**Hubero: Set? **

**Jaime: Go! **

**Hubero and Jaime: *Take off in their rollerblades, racing down the hallway, and pass by Prowl in a blur* **

**Prowl: *Optic twitches* How many times do I have to tell you? Hallway tag is not permitted! *Transforms and pursues* **

**Hubero: *Shouts back* We're not playing hallway tag ya Gumby!**

**Prowl: Insubordination of a senior officer...You've just earned yourself a spot in the brig!**

**Hubero: *Laughing madly* Only if you can catch meeee!**


End file.
